India vs Sri Lanka: Suryakumar Yadav and Axar Patel have made Virat Kohli-Ravindra Jadeja comeback much more difficult
Going into the T20I series against Sri Lanka, there were many questions about the Indian cricket team and the composition of the side
Suryakumar yadav and Axar Patel are in incredible formAnd while it is safe to say that not all doubts have been emphatically answered, there has at least been some sense of vindication in the form of a series win.
Had this new-look team lost, it would have taken less time for the knives to come out from fans. As things stand, however, the relatively young side proved they could hold their own.
The series win also quelled any hopes of a comeback for certain players – at least for the time being. Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja are the two players who should be most worried.
At least in T20Is, Kohli's spot has been usurped by Suryakumar Yadav. And Jadeja's role as the spin-bowling all-rounder has been taken over by Axar Patel.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🌟Player of the match - Suryakumar Yadav<br>🌟Player of the series - Axar Patel<br><br>A series to remember for both stars.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CricTracker?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CricTracker</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SuryakumarYadav?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SuryakumarYadav</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AxarPatel?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AxarPatel</a> <a href="https://t.co/OiyDmX9fjV">pic.twitter.com/OiyDmX9fjV</a></p>— CricTracker (@Cricketracker) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cricketracker/status/1611774986511085569?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
When talking about SKY, it is essential to note that the Mumbai batsman has not replaced Kohli since they also played with great success.
However, their stature comes to mind when talking about replacing the other.
Kohli was always the man when it came to running chases for India, or even when the time came for one batsman to step above the rest.
Virat Kohli was, in many ways, that person more often than not. Need some quickfire runs when batting first? Virat can do it.
Need composed innings during a run chase threatening to get away from you? No worries, Kohli is the man for the hour.
But in T20Is, SKY has held that mantle for at least the last year or two. And what's scary is that he is showing no signs of slowing down.
Previously, Kohli was the one batsman most of the opposition feared. Now in T20I cricket, that man is Suryakumar Yadav – and that might also become the case in ODIs.
As for Axar, many felt – and with some justification – that he was only in the team as he was the closest like-for-like replacement for Jadeja.
However, while he may be a slightly better bowler, his batting and fielding did not always match up to Jadeja's.
But that isn't the case any longer. Axar proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he could be the man to do the heavy hitting lower down the order.
His fielding was also solid, and his bowling remained excellent for the most part. If he can keep this form going, Jadeja will find it hard to break into the XI automatically.
It is also worth noting that, for both the roles of SKY and Axar, India have backups. India have the likes of Shreyas Iyer, Rahul Tripathi and Sanju Samson ready to slot into the middle order.
And Washington Sundar and Shahbaz Ahmed would be only too keen to be India's next big spin bowling all-rounder.
Thus, while one can say never, specific senior pros have had the door shut on them as far as T20Is are concerned.