Australian batting great Ricky Ponting feels Suryakumar Yadav has the ability to 'win' the ODI World Cup for India and the selectors should stick to him despite his woeful run in 50-overs cricket.
The T20 batting sensation is yet to recreate his magic in One-Day Internationals, and in the recent three-match ODI series against Australia he became the first Indian batter to register a hat-trick of golden ducks.
"Everyone around the world knows what Surya can do in white-ball cricket," Ponting said on ICC Review.
"His previous 12 or 18 months have been absolutely outstanding. I feel they should stick with him because he's the sort of player that can win you a World Cup," he added.
Suryakumar has scored 172 runs in the format at an average of just 12.28 since his last fifty in February last year.
But the former Australia skipper firmly backed the Indian batter, and said he could do what the late Andrew Symonds did in winning the 2003 and 2007 World Cups under his captaincy.
"He might be a little bit inconsistent but he's the sort of guy that in big moments can win you games. A bit like the late great Andrew Symonds did for Australia," Ponting said.
"So that's definitely the way that I'd look at it for India. I wouldn't be playing safe. I'd be going with match-winning players and I think he's a match-winner."
Ponting believes the number five spot is best suited for Suryakumar.
"I'm a big believer in giving your best batter as much time as you can in all formats of the game. Because if you keep them down the order, quite often you don't get to use your best players and that's the last thing you want.
"So I think the No. 5 slot's perfect for him and he's just got to grow into that role there."
Ponting further spoke on Team India combination and said in the absence of the flamboyant Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul will be the preferred choice to don the gloves.
Pant will miss the marquee-event as he recovers from a horrible car crash last December. KL Rahul had kept the wickets in the ODIs against Australia.
"Look, I do think they'll stick with him (Rahul). I think in their World Cup squad, KL will definitely be there."
However, Ponting said the young Ishan Kishan, being a left-hander, would be in the mix as the Indian top-order is full of right-handers.
"With Rishabh not being there now, they might think of maybe wanting to play a specialist left-handed batter in the middle order which I think would have to be Ishan Kishan in some role, whether that's at No. 4 or No. 5."
"Just to negate teams that have got left-arm off-spin because when you look at the spinners around the world now, there are very few right-arm off-spinners in ODIs and T20Is.
"You need to have left-handers through your middle order. Most sides will have left-arm off-spin and right-arm leg spin and if you've only got right-handers through the middle order, it's a lot harder for those guys to play it.”
"So I think they'll go into that World Cup with the two keepers in their squad and they'll make the decision on what they need as far as their batting is concerned," he added.
