T20 World Cup 2021 | Suryakumar Yadav has got all shots to be a good No. 4, attests Gautam Gambhir

Suryakumar Yadav recently pipped his Mumbai teammate Shreyas Iyer to a spot in India's 15-man squad for the T20 World Cup. The 30-year-old, who has played four T20Is since his debut versus England in March this year, got the nod ahead of Iyer after his flamboyant run at the international level continued during India's white-ball tour of Sri Lanka in July. In his debut ODI series, the right-hander registered scores of 31*, 53 and 40 before smashing a half-century in the T20I opener. 

Taking note of Suryakumar Yadav's temperament, style of play and array of shots, former India opener Gautam Gambhir has heaped rich praises on the Mumbai Indians star and justified his selection over Iyer, who has found a place in the three-man standby list. 

"He can lap you, he can late cut you, he can hit you over extra cover; he's got all the shots, especially at No.4, because sometimes No.4 is the most tricky position to bat in T20 cricket, probably the easiest is the top three, but No.4, because you might be in when you have lost two early wickets and you still want to continue the momentum," Gambhir said on Star Sports.

"Sometimes you come into the middle, when you have got what... 130 for 2, and you have got to continue with the momentum. So, Surya's got both kinds of change, which probably Shreyas Iyer doesn't have," he added. 

Further, the former KKR and Delhi Capitals captain raised doubts over Iyer's form after his shoulder injury, which has kept him out of action since March 23. 

"And again, you have to be mindful that he is coming after a serious injury and you never know what kind of a form he would be in the second leg of IPL as well. So, they've gone with someone, who has done really well, since he has gone into international cricket," Gambhir concluded.