IND vs ENG: Vengsarkar demands Suryakumar's inclusion at Oval Test

IND vs ENG: Dilip Vengsarkar joins chorus to demand Suryakumar’s inclusion, will Virat Kohli pay heed? – Former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar became the latest to strongly advocated the inclusion of stylish Mumbaikar Suryakumar Yadav as the sixth specialist batsman in the fourth Test against England, starting September 2. However, Virat Kohli has already dismissed the idea of an additional specialist batsman in the Playing XI.

India lost the third Test at Headingley by an innings and 76 runs but skipper Virat Kohli despite the consistent failures of the middle-order is bullish about playing five specialist bowlers.

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“I don’t like to sound as if it’s a knee-jerk reaction but I firmly believe we need to strengthen our batting line-up by including Suryakumar Yadav ahead of Hanuma Vihari. We should drop a bowler and go in with six batsmen,” Dilip Vengsarkar, the former national selection committee chairman, told PTI in an exclusive interaction.

IND vs ENG: In fact, Dilip Vengsarkar’s comments also aligned with another Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar who has also supported the six batsman theory.

Dilip Vengsarkar believes that Surya, who has a 44 plus average in first-class cricket has the talent and temperament to make a difference for India in the next Test match.

“Surya can match (in terms of skills) with the best in this Indian team and since he’s around for sometime now he should be included before it’s too late,” Dilip Vengsarkar said.

IND vs ENG: The 30-year-old Suryakumar Yadav, who has had an impressive white-ball debut this year, was called up on SOS basis after Shubman Gill got injured along with pacer Avesh Khan.

However, skipper Virat Kohli dismissed the idea as he believes it goes against the team’s balance. He also reiterated that it is the bowlers who will have to take 20 wickets in a match to win.

“I don’t believe in bringing in the extra batsman. I have never believed in that balance because either you can try and save a defeat or you can win the game. We have drawn games in the past with a similar number of batters in the team. So, if you top 6-7 don’t do the job, there is no extra guarantee of the extra batter bailing you out every time. You have to accept that as a team and take responsibility. If you don’t have the ability to take 20 wickets going into a Test match, then you are already playing for only two results (loss or draw) and that’s not how we play,” Virat Kohli said at the post-match press conference.

IND vs ENG: Dilip Vengsarkar, a veteran of 116 Tests, also seemed baffled as to why Ravichandran Ashwin is not in playing eleven.

“Why Ashwin is not been picked so far is a mystery to me? You leave out your best spinner out of the playing eleven to me is hard to digest,” Dilip Vengsarkar questioned.

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“India will have to play with four bowlers and six batsmen if they have to win the remaining games,” added Vengsarkar, who has 6,868 Test runs with 17 hundreds to his name.

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