Brian Lara surprised by Suryakumar Yadav's exclusion from upcoming Australia series

Former West Indies skipper Brian Lara reckons that Mumbai's most consistent player Suryakumar Yadav should have been included in India's squad for the upcoming series against Australia that gets underway this Friday i.e. November 27. Despite making a tremendous impact with the bat in the Dream11 IPL 2020, Surya was not selected to represent the national team Down Under.

'He's a class player': Brian Lara

"Yeah, definitely. He's a class player. I don't just look at players that score runs, I look at their technique, capabilities under pressure, positions that they're batting, and for me, Suryakumar Yadav has done such a wonderful job for Mumbai. He comes to bat on the back of Rohit Sharma, and Quinton de Kock, and every time, they are under pressure, he comes in at No. 3," Lara said while speaking on Star Sports show Cricket Connected.

"Just remember, your No. 3 batsmen, other than the openers, the No. 3 batsman in any cricket team is normally your best player, your most reliable player. And for me, he has been that for Mumbai and I see no reason why, looking at the squad, he can't be a part of it," the 'Prince of Trinidad' added.

READ: 'Why My Name Is Not There?': Suryakumar Yadav Opens Up On Australia Snub, Rohit's 'boost'

Suryakumar Yadav in Dream11 IPL 2020

The number three batsman had an outstanding run in the Dream11 IPL 2020 where he had amassed  480 runs at a strike rate of 145.01 in all the 16 matches that he got to play for the title-holders Mumbai. Meanwhile, with almost 500 runs (480) in the 13th edition of the marquee tournament, 'SKY'  became the only uncapped Indian player to score more than 2000 runs in the IPL.

The Rohit Sharma-led side successfully retained their title and won it for a record fifth time after getting the better of defiant Delhi in a one-sided finale by five wickets at the Dubai International Stadium on November 10.

Surya's impactful performances in domestic cricket

Surya has scored 5,326 runs at an average of 44.01 in 77 first-class matches while he has amassed 3,492 runs from 165 T20s games averaging at 32.33.

READ: Tim Paine Says The 2018/19 Test Series Loss Against India Still Annoys Him To Date

(With ANI Inputs)