Suryakumar Yadav teases a Test debut against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy opener in Nagpur

Suryakumar Yadav has surpassed Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in terms of fan popularity in India in less than two years of international cricket. Suryakumar, who has already proven to be a revelation in T20Is, is on his way to becoming an all-format player for India. Surya is a regular for India in T20Is and is also considered for ODIs… If his latest hint is any indication, SKY may be switching from India blues to India whites.

Surya, who received his first Test call-up in January, could be in line for his Test debut ahead of the much-anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy opener on February 9 in Nagpur. Suryakumar posted a picture of a brand-new red SG ball on Instagram with the caption ‘Hello Friend,’ implying that he could make India’s playing XI for the series opener.

Suryakumar is expected to bat at No. 6 for India if he is included, with KL Rahul at No. 5. With Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill likely to open the innings, followed by Cheteshwar Pujara at three and Virat Kohli at four, the presence of Rahul Dravid, Surya, and Ravindra Jadeja in the middle order, and R Ashwin at eight, will result in a strong batting line-up. According to the Nagpur pitch, India can go with three pacers or two quicks and one additional spinner in Axar Patel.

Suryakumar’s presence in India’s Test Playing XI makes sense because he could fill the void left by Rishabh Pant’s absence, who is out for an extended period of time following his December accident. Surya, like Pant, enjoys attacking, and while he may not be as dangerous as Pant in Tests, we all know what he is capable of. Suryakumar Dhoni ruled T20Is in 2022, and while Test matches are a different kettle of fish, SKY may find his calling in the format he has always wanted to play in.

Suryakumar, who has already made a century and a fifty this year, missed the ODI series against Bangladesh in December because he returned to play a few Ranji Trophy matches for Mumbai. Suryakumar played his first First-Class game in over three years against Hyderabad, smashing an 80-ball 90 in his Ranji return. Later, in the game against Saurashtra, Suryakumar batted quickly, making 95 off 107 balls with 14 fours and a six before being bowled by Dharmendrasinh Jadeja. His blows, however, were in naught as Saurashtra won by 48 runs.

Surya has a First-Class average of 44.75 after scoring 5549 runs in 79 games, including 14 hundred and 28 fifties. Moreover, SKY has never hidden his desire to play Test cricket for India. Surya’s meteoric rise in his career has regularly caused the media to inquire about his desire to represent India in Tests, and each time, Surya has been rather vocal about it while remaining optimistic about his possibilities.