Reports: Suryakumar Yadav to be drafted in India's squad for New Zealand Tests

Suryakumar Yadav is likely to be included in team India’s Test squad for the New Zealand series. The two-match Test series is scheduled to commence from Thursday, November 25 at Kanpur. The batter has looked in fine touch lately and is thus expected to be drafted in India’s Test squad for the highly anticipated red-ball games against the Kiwis.

The batter was a part of India’s setup for the Test match series against England. He had made his international debut against the same opposition in March 2021 and had impressed the cricketing fraternity with his attacking and fearless approach towards the game. He scored a half-century in his very first international game to further march the drum of his repertoire.

However now as per reports, Suryakumar Yadav is expected to join the Indian team for the upcoming Test series against New Zealand. “Suryakumar will be making a comeback to the Test team. He will join India’s Test team in Kanpur from Kolkata,” a source told Mid-Day on Monday.

This series is a part of the 2021-23 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. The last time the two teams contested against each other in the longest format was in the inaugural final of the WTC wherein the Kane Williamson-led side was crowned as the champions.

Suryakumar Yadav’s promising performances for India 

He has featured in 77 FC matches, scored 5,356 runs at an average of 44, hitting 14 hundred and 26 fifties in his 11 years long first-class career. The swashbuckling batter had made his first-class debut for Mumbai against Delhi in the 2010-11 season. On his debut, he grabbed the attention of the on-lookers by playing an impressive knock of 73 runs.

About his international career, he has played 11 T20Is for India until now and has scored 244 runs at an average of 34.85, and at a stunning strike rate of 155.4. From the nine innings, he has registered a total of three fifty-plus scores. Over the years, he has been one of the strongest chains of the Mumbai Indians’ wheel in the Indian Premier League.

His consistent performances in the high-profile tournament finally paved his path into the national side. He also played three ODIs against Sri Lanka earlier this year wherein he smashed 124 runs at an average of 62. Yadav also won the Player of the Tournament award in the only ODI series he played.