'Don't Compare Suryakumar Yadav With Sanju,' Says Kapil Dev Amidst Calls To Include Samson In ODIs

New Delhi: Suryakumar Yadav had a miserable outing in the ODI series against Australia as he was dismissed for three golden ducks. Surya took the world cricket by storm with staggering performances in T20Is but somehow he has failed to replicate his success in ODIs.

His average of 24 does not do justice to the skills he possesses. Amidst Surya's consistent low returns in ODIs, calls to include Sanju Samson in the ODI team are on the rise, however, legendary Kapil Dev feels that team India is doing the right thing by backing Suryakumar Yadav.

"A cricketer who has played so well will always get more chances. Don't compare Surya with Sanju Samson, it doesn't seem right. If Sanju goes through a bad phase then you will talk about somebody else. This should not happen. If the team management has decided to back Suryakumar Yadav then he should be given more chances. Yes, people will talk, give their opinion but ultimately it's the management's call," Kapil told ABP News.

Surya got two jaffas from Mitchell Starc in the first two ODIs before being clean bowled by Ashton Agar in the final game. Surprisingly, Surya was demoted to bat at number 7 in the 3rd ODI which left many experts baffled. However, Kapil feels team management must have had a valid reason for sending Surya at No.7.

"It's very easy to talk after the match is finished. Maybe the idea behind sending Suryakumar at No.7 was to give him an opportunity as a finisher. This (shuffling of the batting order) is nothing new in ODIs. This has happened many times before. Yes, at times it can happen that a batter's confidence is dented if he has been dragged down the order. But the onus rests on the player to tell his captain that 'I can handle myself in the top order.' The coach and captain must have taken the decision with particular thinking," he added.