Mumbai: India's T20I captain Hardik Pandya has pitched for charismatic white-ball batter Suryakumar Yadav to be given the opportunity to play red-ball cricket following the 32-year-old's amazing run in the shortest format last year.
On the eve of the opening T20I against Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium here, Pandya complimented his vice-captain, saying going forward Suryakumar could be a vital cog in all three formats of the game. Surya recently expressed his intention to play Test cricket, saying he always dreamt of playing red-ball cricket for the country.
He is also among a very few current India players who have played a Ranji Trophy game this season.
The Mumbai batter scored an entertaining 80-ball 90 in his first Ranji game in nearly three years, in December last year. Pandya said Suryakumar has the knack to alter the complexion of the game and that he is the "most important player" for the team management.