Suryakumar Yadav in line to join India's WTC final squad as cover - Reports
Suryakumar Yadav could return to the Test fold as a potential cover in the Indian squad for the World Test Championship (WTC) final as they assess their options in light of the ongoing injury crisis. KL Rahul is all but ruled out of the high-profile clash against Australia at The Oval, beginning on June 7.
Apart from Rahul, the management is monitoring the situation which has worsened with the injury to Jaydev Unadkat. The likes of Umesh Yadav and Shardul Thakur are also carrying niggles which is a cause of concern for Team India ahead of the final.
With Team India lacking options in the middle order due to injuries to Shreyas Iyer, Rahul, and Rishabh Pant, they are exploring the option of including Suryakumar Yadav in the squad. A BCCI source told the Times of India:
"While it hasn’t been officially decided as yet, Surya was recently been told to keep his UK visa ready."
He returned to red-ball cricket in the form of the 2022-23 Ranji Trophy for Mumbai, where he amassed runs while employing a positive approach.
In the past, he was called up as cover during India's tour of England in 2021 after the likes of Shubman Gill, Avesh Khan, and Washington Sundar sustained injuries.
Suryakumar Yadav made his Test debut against Australia in Nagpur
Suryakumar Yadav was included in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy squad ahead of Sarfaraz Khan and made his debut in the first Test in Nagpur. He scored eight runs in the only innings he batted before being dismissed by Nathan Lyon.
The Mumbai-born batter was subsequently dropped from the playing XI after Shreyas Iyer recovered from injury to play the remainder of the series.
Suryakumar endured a patch of poor form after being dismissed for three consecutive golden ducks in the ODI series against Australia. He also began the ongoing 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) season on a sedate note but has seemingly returned to his best of late. He has scored three fifties across his last four matches and looks like a man in red-hot form.
India have already added the in-form Ajinkya Rahane to the squad to combat their middle-order injury crisis.
Will Suryakumar Yadav find a place in the playing XI for the WTC Final? Let us know what you think.