India batter Suryakumar Yadav's participation in the Duleep Trophy could be in doubt after he injured his hand in the Buchi Babu tournament.
Surya showed his willingness to return to red-ball cricket by making himself available for Mumbai in the Buchi Babu invitational tournament, which immediately precedes the Duleep Trophy. Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan and Sarfaraz Khan are other Test players in action in the tournament hosted by Tamil Nadu Cricket Aassociation.
Surya joined the Mumbai team ahead of their third and final group-stage game against TNCA XI. However, it may have jeopardised his participation in the Duleep Trophy, featuring some of India's current stars.
Both Surya and his team had a disappointing outing with the bat in the first innings. 'SKY' scored 30 as Mumbai were bowled out for 156 in reply to TNCA XI's 379.
While fielding on day three in the third innings of the match, Surya was at leg slip when Pradosh Ranjan Paul tapped a leg-stump delivery from Musheer Khan in his direction. The ball went towards his right, and he stuck out both hands to stop it.
However, as it escaped his grasp, Surya wrung his right hand in pain. The contact with the ball looked innocuous but he was certainly in pain, as the Mumbai medical staff arrived on the scene. He received treatment but left the field soon after.
Mumbai began their run chase at the end of day three, with the openers playing out two overs before stumps. But even as the match advanced on the final day (August 30), Surya, who batted at No.4 the first time around, did not come out to bat at all as Mumbai scored just 223 to lose by 286 runs. He was officially recorded as 'absent hurt' on the scorecard.
There has been no official statement from Mumbai or SKY on the seriousness of the injury, but it remains to be seen whether he will be able to take part in the Duleep Trophy, which begins on September 5. He is part of the India C squad, led by Ruturaj Gaikwad.
Star-studded Duleep Trophy to get underway next week
Earlier this week, Surya reiterated his desire to play Test cricket for India. He is among the best T20 batters in the world and has excelled on the international stage in the shortest format. However, his ODI record has been average, and he has played one Test – against Australia in February 2023. He batted just once, scoring eight.
This year's Duleep Trophy will see several national team stars in action, following a directive from former BCCI and now-ICC chair Jay Shah for national team players to participate more in domestic cricket. Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel are all set to play, with Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Siraj also included before they were withdrawn.
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