Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan Could Play in the England Series: Aakash Chopra

Former India opener turned commentator Aakash Chopra expects Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan to get spots in the Indian T20I squad for the England series. Chopra said there could be changes as Shreyas Iyer and Sanju Samson had disappointing outings in Australia.

"Let’s be honest, they are not that far. Because Samson got a chance, but he could not make use of that. Shreyas Iyer is also going 50-50, his Australian tour has not been that great, in fact, I will call it a slightly disappointing tour. So if we see from that point of view and Manish Pandey’s place is also not fully cemented, Chopra said in his YouTube channel.

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"So both Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan are knocking the doors, and considering the number of our players that are getting injured, I feel they might even get to play against England. I don’t think both of them are too far, but if they have another good IPL, which they had in IPL 2020, and if even the 2021 edition goes good, then you will definitely see them play international cricket."

Both Suryakumar and Kishan impressed in the IPL, especially with their batting in the middle overs. Suryakumar made 480 runs from 15 innings at a strike rate of 145 while Kishan made 516 runs from 13 innings at a strike rate of 145.76.

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Earlier, West Indies legend Brian Lara was among the players who expressed surprise that Suryakumar wasn't picked in the Indian squad for the T20I series in Australia.

"Yeah, definitely. He’s a class player. I don’t just look at players that score runs, I look at their technique, capabilities under pressure, positions that they’re batting and for me, Suryakumar Yadav has done such a wonderful job for Mumbai," he told Star Sports show Cricket Connected.

"He comes to bat on the back of Rohit Sharma, and Quinton de Kock and every time, they are under pressure, he comes in at No. 3. Just remember, your No. 3 batsman, other than the openers, the No. 3 batsman in any cricket team is normally your best player, your most reliable player. And for me, he has been that for Mumbai Indians and I see no reason why, looking at the squad, he can be a part of it."

India will play five T20Is at home against England in a tour that goes from February to March.

• Aakash Chopra
• brian lara
• India vs England
• India vs England 2021
• Ishan Kishan
• Suryakumar Yadav