Indian National Cricket Team’s 33-year-old middle-order batsman Suryakumar Yadav has made it abundantly clear that he is considering a return to the Test squad ahead of the long red-ball season with series against Bangladesh, New Zealand and Australia lined up.
Suryakumar made his Test debut for India in the high-profile Border-Gavaskar series at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha, Nagpur in February 2023. He faced 20 balls in India’s only innings and scored 8 runs, before being dismissed by Nathan Lyon.
That remains the only red-ball match he played for the Indian National Cricket Team and he is currently no longer in the scheme of things in Test cricket.
He was even dropped from the ODI setup following his appointment as T20I captain but the team management has made it clear that the door is open for his return to longer formats.
Suryakumar Yadav is a very experienced player and has already played 82 first-class matches. He has also had tremendous success, scoring 5628 runs at an average of 43.62.
The veteran batsman will be taking part in the Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament, followed by the Duleep Trophy and the Ranji Trophy. If he manages to impress the selectors with his good performances, he might even be called up again for the Test squad.
However, his return to India’s red-ball side will not be easy as the likes of Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel have delivered sensational performances in the limited opportunities they have received.
Suryakumar Yadav also acknowledges the competition by saying that players who have performed well deserve a place in the Indian team before him.
“There are many players who have worked hard to earn a place in the Test squad. Even I want to earn a place in that Test squad. After making my debut for India in Tests, I got injured. Many players who got opportunities did well. Those are the players who deserve the opportunity right now,” Suryakumar Yadav was quoted as saying by Indian Express on Monday.
From now on, if I have to play, that is not under my control – Suryakumar Yadav
The 33-year-old further said that he wants to play in the white jersey for India again but the national team is not under his control and he just needs to focus on his performances.
“From now on, if I have to play, it is not in my power. What is in my power now is to play this tournament (Buchi Babu), then play the Duleep Trophy and then we will see what happens,” Suryakumar Yadav added.
Suryakumar Yadav added that the red-ball format is quite a challenge for the players as they need to be one step ahead at all times. He explained:
“This format is a bit challenging. You have to be one step ahead. You can’t bat like you do in a T20I match. But at the same time, intent is very important, including the body language you convey on the ground. The part of thinking about what to do has to be done during practice sessions.
“You can’t go into a game and think too much. What’s in your control is the training sessions and what you do up until the start of the game. If you’re doing well, be humble. If you’re not doing well, go back to basics and the drawing board, start over and get back on track.”
