If management had decided to back him, he must continue: Kapil Dev's brave remarks on SKY-Sanju comparison

World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev has downplayed any comparison between Suryakumar Yadav and Sanju Samson, saying this should not happen in the first place. He added if the team management has decided to back someone, that player must get an extended run. These comments have come after Suryakumar held a bizarre record to his name, where he registered three first-ball ducks in as many outings against Australia in the recently-concluded ODI series.

Following his recent failure, Indian fans on social media started raising questions as to why Surya was preferred over Sanju Samson, who in comparison to SKY, has better ODI numbers. He averages 66 in 11 matches, while Surya averages just 24.05 in 23 games.

Meanwhile, in the absence of regular number four Shreyas Iyer, who is out due to a back injury, the management decided to test Surya in the same spot. Having achieved enormous success in the shortest format lately, Suryakumar failed to replicate his form in ODIs. His recent slump further raised tensions for the team management to fill the spot as the home World Cup approaches.

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Speaking on the comparison, Kapil said since Surya has been a regular in the T20I team for over two years now, he deserves to get picked; and even though he attained an unwanted record to his name, SKY should not be discounted, and instead, the management must persist with him.

"A cricketer who has played so well will always get more chances. Don't compare Surya with Sanju Samson, it doesn't seem right. If Sanju goes through a bad phase then you will talk about somebody else. This should not happen. If the team management has decided to back Suryakumar Yadav then he should be given more chances. Yes, people will talk, give their opinion but ultimately it's the management's call," Kapil Dev said during an interaction with ABP news.

While Surya batted at his designated spot (number four) in the first two matches, where he got out trapped in the middle off Mitchell Starc in an almost similar fashion, the management decided to send me as a finisher in the final ODI in Chennai – where Ashton Agar clean bowled him.

Explaining why he was sent lower down the order, Kapil said the change in the batting order is nothing new in ODIs, and that the management must have thought of trying Surya as a finisher, but that didn’t work either.

"It's very easy to talk after the match is finished. Maybe the idea behind sending Suryakumar at No.7 was to give him an opportunity as a finisher. This (shuffling of the batting order) is nothing new in ODIs. This has happened many times before. Yes, at times it can happen that a batter's confidence is dented if he has been dragged down the order. But the onus rests on the player to tell his captain that 'I can handle myself in the top order.' The coach and captain must have decided with particular thinking," India’s World Cup winner added.

Meanwhile, both Suryakumar and Sanju Samson will now compete for their teams in the upcoming edition of the IPL, which starts on March 31st.