PC: no.sportskeeda

The ICC World Cup 2023 is around the corner and England is set to face New Zealand in the opening match on October 5. Host nation India is preparing to begin its campaign against Australia on October 8 at the Chepauk Stadium in Chennai.

Meanwhile, in a recent assessment of the Indian cricket team, former opener Ravi Shastri highlighted Suryakumar Yadav rather than Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma as the X-factor for the Men in Blue in ICC events. Shastri expressed keen interest in Yadav's performance and emphasized that if the top order is performing well and the team has depth in its batting lineup, then Yadav becomes an important player.

Shastri said, "I will watch Suryakumar Yadav very closely. Because if your top order is scoring runs then you will have 6-7-8 players and in such a situation you will play either Suryakumar Yadav or Shreyas Iyer. However, if all the players are scoring runs, then Surya becomes the These players can take the match ahead of the opposing team only in the last 6-7 overs. So you have to keep this X factor in mind."

While Suryakumar Yadav performed impressively for the Men in Blue in the recent bilateral series against Australia, he faces competition from KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer in the middle order, making the selection options interesting as India prepares for the World Cup.