India’s T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav, opened up about his desire to make a comeback in the longest format. He recently led India to a 3-0 T20I series win against Sri Lanka after the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup, which India won after a win over South Africa in the final. The T20I series against Sri Lanka was Suryakumar’s first assignment as captain and Gautam Gambhir’s first as the head coach.
After Gambhir took up the coaching role, he endorsed the decision to appoint Suryakumar as India’s T20I captain following Rohit Sharma‘s retirement from the format. Notably, Suryakumar was chosen over Hardik Pandya, who was India’s vice-captain at the T20 World Cup.
“I want to play for India in all the three formats. Playing in Buchi Babu will give me good practice for the red ball tournaments this season,” Suryakumar told The Times of India.
Sanjay Patil, who is Mumbai’s chief selector, revealed that Suryakumar has confirmed his availability to play one match for Mumbai in the Buchi Babu Invitational multi-day tournament. Notably, the 33-year-old has represented India in only one Test in 2023. He made his debut against Australia at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium.
“Surya just called me to tell me that he wants to play in the Buchi Babu tournament, and will be available from the second match onwards (TNCA XI at the same venue from August 27-30). Who wouldn’t a player like him to play for them? It’s a huge boost for Mumbai, and I’m very happy with his gesture,” Patil was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.
Sarfaraz Khan will lead Mumbai in the tournament, while Suryakumar will focus solely on his role as a batter. Additionally, prominent players such as Sourav Ganguly and Mohammad Azharuddin have previously featured at the Buchi Babu Invitational tournament.
