Former Indian batter Robin Uthappa has urged the Indian T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav to bat in the top 4 and not below for the Men In Blue in International T20Is.
Surya, who originally bats at No.4 for the Indian side, has lately sacrificed his position on numerous occasions to follow the left-right batting combination during the middle phases.
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Uthappa has now shared his views on the batter's role in the side and has asked the skipper to take up one of the top 4 spots in the side.
Robin Uthappa explains why Suryakumar Yadav should continue batting at No. 3 for India after AUS vs IND 1st T20I
Speaking to Star Sports, Uthappa was asked about India's recent tactic of fielding a left and right-handed batting combination in the middle, which led to Surya batting out of his No. 3 spot on several occasions.
"In my opinion, there is no better position than No. 3 for Suryakumar in T20 cricket. "If the top three gets set, you can bring flexibility after that. You can bring left-right combinations," said Uthappa.
The Mumbai batter came into bat at No.3 in the 1st T20I against Australia and looked at his vintage best. Before rain interrupted, he scored 39 off just 24 balls and looked well on course for his first half-century this year.
While the Indian skipper has been flexible, Uthappa feels that he should not bat below No.4 in T20Is for India.
"In the Asia Cup, they probably decided that Tilak Varma would come at No.3 if a left-hander got out and Surya would come if a right-hander got out. That's still alright, but Suryakumar Yadav shouldn't come below No. 4."
In the recently concluded Asia Cup, the Indian Captain sacrificed his position for the left-hander Tilak Varma, who batted at the position in multiple games.
Surya's most iconic knocks for India and even for his IPL sides have come batting at the top 4 positions. He has had a very disappointing 2025 so far, where he is averaging just 11.
The knock against Australia would, however, have provided him with a lot of confidence, and he would look to build on and score some big runs going forward.
Meanwhile, the first T20I between India and Australia was abandoned due to rain.
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