Suryakumar Yadav is ready to work hard ahead
19 months after his Test debut, Suryakumar Yadav could return to the format with the start of the domestic red-ball season. He played his last Test in February 2023 against Australia in Nagpur, which was also his first match for India in this format. Suryakumar was neither selected for the World Test Champions final nor for the West Indies tour last year. However, 19 months after the Nagpur encounter, India’s newly-appointed T20 captain could return to the format with the start of the domestic red-ball season in the country.
India have 10 Test matches lined up for the remainder of 2024 – two against Bangladesh next month, three against New Zealand in October and the all-important Border-Gavaskar series in Australia in December. Ahead of the Test matches, the selectors have named all the Indian probables and some emerging talents for the Duleep Trophy, which will play a key role for the Ajit Agarkar-led committee in picking the Indian squad for each Test series.
Can’t bat like T20 in Tests
Apart from Suryakumar, the match will also see the return of Shreyas Iyer, who was dropped from the Indian Test squad midway through the England series at home in February. The Mumbai side will also feature Sarfaraz Khan, who had a good outing in the team’s opener in the pre-season tournament last week. All three batsmen will be vying for a spot in India’s middle order for the upcoming two-match Test series against Bangladesh.
This format is a bit challenging. You have to be one step ahead. You can’t bat like you would in a T20 match. But at the same time, intent is very important, including your body language on the field. During practice sessions you have to think about what to do. You can’t think too much going into the game.
Practice Sessions Under Control
Practice sessions are all about you being in control and what you do until the game starts. “If you do well, stay humble. If you don’t do well, go back to the basics and the drawing board, start over and then come back,” Surya said. But new head coach Gautam Gambhir has kept the doors open for Surya’s return to the Test side, so the batsman’s comeback test will begin in Coimbatore on Tuesday when Mumbai face TNCA XI in the Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament.
There are a lot of players who have worked hard to make their way into the Test team. Even I want to make it to that Test team. I got injured after making my debut for India in Tests. A lot of players have got opportunities and have done well. Those players deserve an opportunity right now. Going forward, if I have to play, it is not in my control. Right now what is in my control is to play this tournament (Buchi Babu), play the Duleep Trophy and then we will see what happens, Surya said after a three-hour practice session on Monday.
Veterans for a spot in the middle order
Surya knows that He is waiting in the queue. Apart from the returning Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, two of his Mumbai teammates – Shreyas Iyer and Sarfaraz Khan – are with him in Coimbatore, vying for a place in the middle order.
The next three weeks, when Surya has to play at least three Duleep Trophy matches, will determine whether he moves up the order or has to rely on the Ranji Trophy that follows immediately. He has a lot of groundwork to put in. It has been 13 months since Surya featured in a multi-day fixture. When he joined the Mumbai team on Sunday, he went straight to the nets.
When he took guard and played a few balls, one of the net bowlers said out loud, En da pirichu edupar nu patha, porumaya adrar. Naan kooda bayanthute potiyan. I expected them to rip me apart, I was too scared to bowl, but they are gentle.
Conclusion
Suryakumar Yadav’s Instagram story couldn’t have been more perfect. Dressed in white with the Mumbai Cricket Association logo under the evening sun, Surya called it a return to the roots. For the next four months when India are set to play 10 Tests, Surya’s intentions are very clear. I want to make it to that Test team,” he said.
Since making his debut against Australia in Nagpur in 2023, the 33-year-old has not been part of the Test set-up. And ahead of the Sri Lanka series, chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar had also said that they were looking at him as a T20 player as he was not included in the ODI squad as well.
