"He is different from others"- Ex-SL Skipper wants Suryakumar Yadav to be in Indian ODI team

Despite having already won the series, India has been under scrutiny for dropping a few in-form players. One of them is No. 1 ranked T20I batter Suryakumar Yadav, who scored a blistering century in the third and final T20I but hasn't played a game yet in the ODI series.

It has raised some eyebrows as Suryakumar is in the form of his life and India hasn't utilised him properly in the 50-over cricket. Former Sri Lankan skipper Dinesh Chandimal also reckons that it is evidence of India's brilliant bench strength that a player like Suryakumar has to sit out.

India has given a chance to Shreyas Iyer at No. 4 and to KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya at Nos. 5 and 6, which has forced SKY to sit out. Chandimal, who will represent the Desert Vipers in the inaugural season of ILT20, said in an interview with PTI that Suryakumar's strength is his high strike rate and that his small cameo or half-century can change the game.

Chandimal said, "He is different to other batters. You need a guy like him in the middle-order. He can change the game by just scoring 30 to 50 runs. Opposition team can be frustrated with the speed at which he scores. I still feel he should play in ODIs."

Sri Lanka has already lost the ODI series 2-0 with one match left. However, the former Sri Lankan skipper wants his team to play a positive brand of cricket. He said that it is very difficult to play India in their home conditions, but Sri Lanka should play positive cricket.

Chandimal has been out of the lineup for quite a while now. He believes that performing in T20 leagues like ILT20 will help him make a comeback into the Sri Lankan team. Meanwhile, the third and final ODI game between India and Sri Lanka will take place in Trivandrum on Sunday.