3 reasons why Suryakumar Yadav rightly deserved a central contract

Suryakumar Yadav has been sensational with the bat in India's middle-order ever since he graced the international arena.

After belting tons of runs in domestic cricket and in the IPL, the Mumbai cricketer got his due when India hosted England last year. Although he didn't get to bat in his debut game, Suryakumar proved his class by playing a knock of 57 off 31 balls in his second T20I.

Since then, he has been a regular member of the squad, scoring crucial runs for the team in the middle and lower-order. So far, Suryakumar Yadav has played seven ODIs and 14 T20Is, scoring 267 and 351 runs respectively at a healthy strike-rate.

With the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announcing central contracts, Suryakumar Yadav got his first contract.

Let's take a look at three reasons why Suryakumar Yadav deserves a central contract.

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#1. Suryakumar Yadav can be used as a floater in the batting order

The 31-year-old right-handed batter is impactful irrespective of where he bats in the order.

He was sent up the order to bat at number three on a couple of occasions and has been useful in building up an innings. He has 176 runs in five T20Is batting first down at an average of 44.

Suryakumar also donned the hat of a finisher, batting at No. 4 and 5, accumulating 175 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of over 150.

With India struggling to find the right combination in the middle-order, the dashing batter has emerged as a solution in the past year.

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#2. Can change the tempo of the match regardless of the situation

A natural strokemaker, Suryakumar can change gears seamlessly. He has almost all the shots in his books that make him a rare talent.

The Mumbai Indians cricketer has injected a different sort of energy into India's middle-order. The batting is now a lot more impactful with the Men in Blue not looking stagnant in the mid-overs, which has been an issue in the last few years.

Suryakumar Yadav has had an impact on the tempo of the game every time he has come out to bat, helping India take forward strides in the game.

With a couple of white-ball World Cups lined up, Suryakumar is expected to be an integral member of the side led by Rohit Sharma.

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#3. Part-time off-spin bowler

Besides all the good things about his batting, the former Kolkata Knight Riders cricketer is also a handy off-break bowler.

Suryakumar, who bowls consistently in the nets, is ready to put his hand up if asked to be the sixth bowling option. Addressing the media a couple of days back, he stated:

"I bowl regularly in the nets. Whenever I get an opportunity, I will bowl. Whenever the team needs me, they can use me. I will always be available."

Suryakumar has 24 wickets under his belt, including a four-wicket haul in 77 first-class matches.