Captain of the India T20 international team, Suryakumar Yadav, has stated that he is available to play one match for Mumbai in this year’s Buchi Babu Invitational multi-day competition.
Suryakumar will play in the Mumbai CA XI’s second game, which is scheduled to take place in Coimbatore from August 27 to 30, against the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association XI.
Sarfaraz Khan, a test specialist, has been selected the Mumbai team’s captain. Suryakumar, who has previously led the domestic heavyweights, will play because he wants to play in all formats.
The Indian players will now take a rest since their next assignment is a two-match Test series against Bangladesh, which will begin in Chennai on September 19.
“Suryakumar will play the second match for Mumbai,” an official from the Mumbai Cricket Association said on Wednesday.
The tournament will be held at four venues in Tamil Nadu — Tirunelveli, Salem, Coimbatore and Natham — this year.
Another MCA official told PTI on the conditions of anonymity, “Surya wants to play in all three formats for India and as he has always been available for Mumbai whenever free, it won’t be otherwise this year too.”
“He will play tourneys like Buchi Babu, KSCA (Gold Cup) apart from Ranji Trophy where his presence will also motivate the youngsters in the team,” a MCA source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
In Indian domestic cricket, the Buchi Babu Invitational competition used to be the season opener, drawing attendance from all of the Test players.
In recent years, the competition has lost its glamour as it hasn’t drawn major celebrities. However, Mohammad Azharuddin and Krishnamachari Srikkanth were the final players to compete while serving as captains of India.
Even Sourav Ganguly, who was benched by India’s head coach at the time, Greg Chappell, had played for Buchi Babu in the middle of the 2000s.
The Indian players will now take a rest since their next assignment is a two-match Test series against Bangladesh, which will begin in Chennai on September 19.
