IND vs WI T20I Series: Sanju Samson vs Suryakumar Yadav battle within battle to continue

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The 5-match T20I series between India and West Indies will not just not be about a bunch of youngsters and fringe players getting to represent India at the highest level in a series not carrying match weight.

It could be one of the most decisive series in the careers of a few players. Take for example, Yuzvendra Chahal did not get to play any of the three ODI matches. For him these five matches became very crucial in his quest to play in the Asia Cup 2023 and World Cup 2023. A couple of bad outings can see him fall very low in the pecking order. There are already talks of calling back off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin to help India end their decade-long ICC title drought.

However, the middle-order spots for the marquee event are in focus for now and at the centre if it are Sanju Samson and Suryakumar Yadav. The former smashed a cracking fifty in the decisive third ODI to help India post a 352-run target for hosts West Indies.

Suryakumar Yadav's slump continued in the ODI format. After registering three consecutive ODI ducks in his previous three 50-overs games ahead of the West Indies series, the 32-year-old right hander scored 19, 24 and 35 runs in the series which concluded on Tuesday. He has gone 18 ODI innings without scoring a fifty now.

Samson with his flawless fifty has an edge over Suryakumar. He is also getting the backing of former cricketers including Mohamed Kaif who has reckoned that the 28-year-old is ready for the World Cup 2023.

Suryakumar Yadav is the number one-ranked T20I batter in the world at the moment and he would be looking to make a comeback once again in his favourite format. However, Samson too have brought maturity and consistency in his T20 game. The Rajasthan Royals captain has scored over 450 runs in two of the last three IPL editions.

The battle within the batter between the two very talented right-hand batting superstars would keep the fans on the edge of their seats throughout the series.