Suryakumar Yadav has been declared fit to replace Sarfaraz Khan in the India B team for the Duleep Trophy, led by Abhimanyu Easwaran. India B is set to face India D, captained by Shreyas Iyer, in Anantapur.
The Indian team received good news ahead of the T20 series against Bangladesh: Their T20 captain, Suryakumar Yadav, has been declared fit. India will begin the Test series against Bangladesh on Thursday. Although Suryakumar is not part of the Test team, the National Cricket Academy (NCA) has cleared him to play in the final round of the Duleep Trophy, starting Thursday.
Suryakumar to Replace Sarfaraz Khan
According to an ESPN Cricinfo report, Suryakumar Yadav will replace Sarfaraz Khan in the India B team for the Duleep Trophy. Sarfaraz will be part of the first Test match against Bangladesh in Chennai, so he cannot play in the Duleep Trophy.
Suryakumar had initially withdrawn from the early rounds of the Duleep Trophy as a precaution due to a thumb injury. Before the Duleep Trophy, he was supposed to participate in the Buchi Babu tournament in Coimbatore but felt uncomfortable while holding the bat. He last played in the Duleep Trophy in June-July last year and has not appeared in first-class tournaments. However, he expressed a desire to come back to Test cricket.
Last month, he said, “Many people are working hard to earn a spot in the team, and I also want to be included again. I made my debut for India in the Tests but got injured afterward. Several players got their chances and made the most of them. Right now, they deserve their opportunities.”
Suryakumar May Return for T20 Series Against Bangladesh
Suryakumar Yadav could return to the Indian team for the three-match T20 series against Bangladesh in October. He captained the Indian team during the T20 series against Sri Lanka in July. If he plays in the series against Bangladesh, he will miss the early rounds of the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 season, which starts on October 11.
