Suryakumar Yadav Eager to Reignite Test Ambitions Through Club Cricket and Domestic Tournaments

Suryakumar Yadav, India’s newly-appointed T20I captain, is determined to earn his spot back in the Test side, and he sees the upcoming Buchi Babu Invitational tournament and Duleep Trophy as crucial opportunities to showcase his red-ball skills.

Suryakumar, who made his Test debut against Australia last year, acknowledged the fierce competition for places in the Indian Test team, with several talented players like his Mumbai teammates Sarfaraz Khan and Shreyas Iyer, as well as KL Rahul and Rajat Patidar, currently ahead of him in the pecking order. However, the 32-year-old is eager to make the most of the upcoming domestic fixtures to prove his worth and earn another chance in the longest format.

“What’s in my power right now is to play the Buchi Babu tournament, go on to play the Duleep Trophy and then see what happens,” Suryakumar said in Coimbatore on Monday, following Mumbai’s training session ahead of the club cricket event. “But yes, I’m really looking forward. There are ten Test matches lined up and I’m obviously excited for some red-ball fun.”

Suryakumar, who has not played a first-class match since last year’s Duleep Trophy, has been recuperating from a groin surgery in Germany that kept him out of action for three months. During this period, he was part of the ODI and T20 World Cup squads, and was recently named the full-time T20I captain after Rohit Sharma’s retirement from the format.

“Red-ball cricket has always been my priority,” Suryakumar emphasized. “When I grew up in the maidans of Mumbai and played a lot of local cricket, I started playing with the red cherry. The love for the longest format began there, and has always been there.”

With India scheduled to play ten Tests over the next four months, starting with the two-match series against Bangladesh in September, Suryakumar is determined to make the most of the upcoming domestic opportunities to push his case for a Test recall. He believes the Buchi Babu tournament will help him acclimate to red-ball cricket quickly before the Duleep Trophy.

“We are fortunate to have this tournament because we don’t get many multi-day games back home during this weather,” Suryakumar said. “Yes, you can practise for a couple of hours, but standing in the heat for six hours and doing that three or four days in a row is only possible through a game. That’s very important going forward in the Duleep Trophy and, hopefully, in Tests.”

Suryakumar has a solid red-ball record, having scored 5,628 runs in 82 first-class matches at an average of 43.62, with 14 centuries and 29 half-centuries. He is known for his attacking game, which could be valuable on turning tracks, but he emphasized the need to adapt his approach to the demands of the longer format.

“It’s necessary to adapt to the conditions well,” he said. “In Mumbai, you have red soil, but here [in Coimbatore] it is black soil and the wickets are a bit different. You have to be one step ahead in the challenging longest format and can’t bat like how you would in a T20.”

As Suryakumar looks to reignite his Test ambitions, his focus remains on the upcoming club cricket and domestic tournaments, where he will aim to make a strong case for a recall to the Indian Test team.

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