Captain Suryakumar Yadav was the only player not to bat in India’s first innings against Oman, after pushing himself down to No.11 in the Asia Cup clash.
What was the incident?
Yadav was listed at No.4 on the team sheet at the toss, which India won in Abu Dhabi. India lost their first wicket, Shubman Gill, in the second over, but Abhishek Sharma continued his blazing form, scoring 38 off just 15 balls. He fell in the eighth over, but instead of Yadav walking out, India promoted Hardik Pandya, who had yet to bat in the Asia Cup. Hardik last batted in a T20 match on June 1, and the idea behind his promotion was likely to give him some time in the middle as the business end of the tournament approaches.
However, Hardik was unable to make an impact, managing only a single run. His departure still didn't trigger Yadav to leave the dugout, with Axar Patel instead sent to the crease. Axar, who also had not faced a ball in the Asia Cup, joined Samson, who was holding one end up but struggling for fluency, batting on 38 off 31 at one stage. Axar increased the tempo with a brisk 26 off 13 before falling to Aamir Kaleem.
Once again, all eyes turned towards the dugout, where Yadav was padded up. But, again, he did not move. Shivam Dube - who had batted in just one innings in the competition, facing seven balls - walked out instead. Yadav was not the only batter to be demoted: Tilak Varma, the only other India batter to have faced more than 30 balls in the Asia Cup before this clash, was also held back. Tilak finally came in at No.7 after Dube’s dismissal for 5.
Match 12, India vs Oman
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- Ball by ball Over
Samson’s dismissal presented the ideal opportunity for Yadav, with the tail up next, but all three specialist bowlers - Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav and Arshdeep Singh - were given a chance with the bat instead. Yadav eventually did not bat.
Why did Suryakumar Yadav not bat vs Oman?
Yadav walked out to field in the very first over of the second innings, which ruled out any injury concerns. The only plausible reasoning was that the skipper wanted to maximise batting opportunities for the middle and lower order. Since the start of this year, India’s top four have faced 479 balls, scoring 767 runs at a strike rate of 160.12. In contrast, batters between Nos. 5–11 have collectively faced 319 deliveries, striking at just 131.66.
Yadav had already starred in the clash against Pakistan, scoring an unbeaten 47 off 37 in a successful run chase. By pushing himself down the order, he set an example, giving valuable match practice and helping remove the rustiness of his teammates.
India lost their eighth wicket at the start of the 19th over, but Harshit Rana and Kuldeep Yadav ensured there was no further damage. This, however, denied Yadav the chance to become only the second captain -male or female - from a Full-Member after Lasith Malinga to bat at No.11 in T20Is.
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