Suryakumar Yadav picked up a hand injury ahead of the 2024 Duleep Trophy. The 33-year-old sustained the injury while fielding for Mumbai during their match against the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) XI in the ongoing Buchi Babu tournament. Although the status of his injury remains uncertain, it will be a significant concern for him with the Duleep Trophy set to begin on September 5.
Notably, the 33-year-old is aiming for a Test return and a serious injury could disrupt his comeback efforts. The Indian T20I skipper has featured only in one Test for India against Indian Australia in Nagpur in February last year. Notably, he was eager to play against TNCA XI in Coimbatore, which presented an opportunity to impress the national selectors to earn a spot in the squad for the red-ball format.
“What is in my power right now is to play the Buchi Babu tournament, go on to play the Duleep Trophy, and then see what happens. But yes, I’m really looking forward. There are ten Test matches lined up (in India’s international season at home) and I’m obviously excited for some red-ball fun,” he had said.
Many players are aspiring to make it to India’s Test squad by taking part in the Duleep Trophy. Suryakumar Yadav is part of Team C, which will be captained by Ruturaj Gaikwad. The team also features B Sai Sudharsan and Rajat Patidar, among others. KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, and Ishan Kishan are also participating in the tournament, which will kick off India’s domestic season.
After the Duleep Trophy, India will play 10 Tests this year which is part of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle. India, led by Rohit Sharma is aiming to make it to the third straight WTC final. They will first face off against Bangladesh in a two-match Test series at home in September-October and then host New Zealand where they play three Tests in October-November. Following this, India will travel to Australia to take part in the five-match series, starting from November 2024 to January 2025).
Duleep Trophy 2024 India C revised squad: Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Sai Sudharsan, Rajat Patidar, Abishek Porel (WK), Suryakumar Yadav, B Indrajith, Hrithik Shokeen, Manav Suthar, Gaurav Yadav, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Anshul Khamboj, Himanshu Chauhan, Mayank Markande, Aryan Juyal (WK), Sandeep Warrier.
