"Red-ball cricket has always been my priority" - Suryakumar Yadav aspires to return to Team India's Test setup in the near future
Team India batter Suryakumar Yadav has established himself as a short format star but has been unable to translate the same form to cement himself a spot in the Test team setup. The right-handed batter will have a string of red-ball matches in the Buchi Babu tournament and the Duleep Trophy to make a strong case ahead of the home season.
Despite featuring in 82 first-class matches since his debut for Mumbai in 2010, Suryakumar has only been able to muster a solitary Test appearance for the nation to date. He debuted during the 2023 Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia, scoring eight runs in his sole innings before being weighed down by the intense competition for the middle-order slots.
He featured in the previous edition of the Duleep Trophy but was not among the runs as West Zone lost the final to South Zone.
"Red-ball cricket has always been my priority. 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. I’ve taken part in a lot of First Class matches for more than 10 years now and I still cherish playing this format. There’s no question about it and that’s why I’m here before the Duleep Trophy," Suryakumar Yadav said in an interview with Sportstar.
Suryakumar has expressed his desire to feature across all formats for India. His ascendancy in the T20 format has been a revelation, with a recent promotion to captaincy being a testament to his stature within the Indian team. However, he needs runs under his belt to rise in the pecking order in the remaining formats.
"I want to earn that spot again" - Suryakumar Yadav on playing red-ball cricket for India
The Indian Test middle order is jam-packed with names like KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, and Sarfaraz Khan. A prolific run in red-ball cricket could help Suryakumar Yadav be in contention for the limited spots, and give the incumbents a run for their money.
"There are a lot of people who have worked really hard to earn their place and even I want to earn that spot again. I made my debut for India in Tests. After that, I got injured as well. There were a lot of people who got an opportunity and have done well too. They deserve that opportunity right now," Suryakumar Yadav said in the same interview.
Suryakumar has been drafted into the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led Team C of the 2024 Duleep Trophy.
"Going forward, if I have to play, then I’ll automatically play. That’s not in my control. What’s in my power right now is to play the Buchi Babu tournament, go on to play Duleep Trophy and then see what happens," he added.
Suryakumar has amassed 5628 runs in red-ball cricket at an average of 43.62, with 14 hundreds to his name.