There are similar basics in T20 cricket and 50-over cricket, and Suryakumar has ticked all the boxes: Mark Waugh

He played a significant role in India's successful pursuit of 277 runs, aiding them in winning by five wickets with eight balls remaining, on Friday.

New Delhi: Former Australia cricketer Mark Waugh weighed on Suryakumar Yadav‘s performance (49 runs off 50 deliveries) in the first ODI against Australia in Mohali on Friday, saying the basics of playing the white-ball game remain the same and the star batter has the tools to do well in the 50-over format of the game.

“It’s not about those ducks. All those things that people have been talking about, stuff like ‘Is he just a T20 player? Is he good enough to be a 50-overs player?’. He sure is, you don’t lose your talent overnight. There are similar basics in T20 cricket and 50-over cricket. Hit the ball, run hard, put the bad ball away, he can do all those things really well,” Mark Waugh told JioCinema.

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“It’s just a matter of him breaking free and not worrying about getting out. That’s the one thing that always holds batters back — thinking about getting out. If you can not think about that, then your natural instincts will take over and he will be fine,” he added.

Suryakumar Yadav’s third half-century came after a long drought of 21 matches, after more than 1-year gap. When Suryakumar was chosen for the team to compete in the Cricket World Cup in 2023, concerns about his position in the ODI lineup only grew.

Suryakumar, though, appears to have the support and faith of the team administration. Suryakumar Yadav finally got his comeuppance after one of the worst stretches in international cricket, as he collected three consecutive golden ducks in a home ODI series against Australia prior to the IPL.

He played a significant role in India’s successful pursuit of 277 runs, aiding them in winning by five wickets with eight balls remaining, on Friday. Earlier, former Indian cricketer, Abhishek Nayar also showed faith in Suryakumar, stating, that it’s all about trusting your own abilities and confidence from the team.

“That also tells you the environment in the team. A lot of times, when you go back to the dugout, the coach and the captain, when they put that sort of trust in you. We saw Rahul Dravid speak in the press conference of how much confidence they had in Suryakumar, that they are going to back him, just feel that Suryakumar having that (backing) gives him the confidence to play his natural game,” Nayar said.

India will face Australia in the 2nd ODI in Indore on Sunday.