India is scheduled to play up to 10 Test matches in the next few months, including two against Bangladesh, three against New Zealand, and five during their tour of Australia. With a new coach, Gautam Gambhir, now in charge, the limited number of red-ball matches that India’s aspiring Test players are participating in before the international season begins have become more important. While some players will likely be selected based on their previous performances, others have a great opportunity to stand out and compete with the current team members.
Suryakumar Yadav is a top player in T20 cricket. He is famous for his bold and unique playing style. He is trying to get back into the Test team after playing his first Test match at home against Australia. In that game, he scored only eight runs, and it was his only Test match for India so far. He wants to show that he deserves to be in the Test team. To do this, he is playing in the Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament in Tamil Nadu and the Duleep Trophy 2024, and he hopes to score well in these games.
Suryakumar understands that he needs to adjust his natural playing style to achieve long-term success in traditional cricket with red balls. He is very aware of this and has a lot of experience. Suryakumar has played 82 first-class matches, scoring 5628 runs with an average of 43.62. He has made 14 centuries and 29 half-centuries.
“This format is a bit challenging,” Suryakumar said. “You need to be one step ahead. You can’t play like you do in a T20 match. But at the same time, showing determination and having the right body language on the field is very important. You need to plan your actions during practice sessions. You can’t think too much during the game.”
“What you can control are the practice sessions and what you do before the game starts. If you perform well, stay humble. If you don’t do well, go back to the basics, start again, and come back stronger,” he added.
