Suryakumar Yadav aims for Test comeback under Gautam Gambhir's leadership following India T20I captaincy promotion: 'My goal is to represent...'

Fresh off being appointed as India's full-time captain during Gautam Gambhir's era, star batsman Suryakumar Yadav has his eyes set on becoming a versatile player across all formats for the national team. The former top-ranked T20I batsman played a crucial role in leading India to a dominant 3-0 series sweep against Sri Lanka following the ICC World Cup 2024. The series victory marked the beginning of Gambhir's stint as head coach of the Indian team, showcasing Suryakumar's potential as a key player in the squad.

Replacing Rahul Dravid as India's head coach, Gambhir sanctioned the appointment of Suryakumar for the leadership role in T20Is. Suryakumar pipped all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who served Rohit Sharma as his deputy at the T20 World Cup. Though Pandya was tipped to replace Rohit, the Indian think tank picked Suryakumar as the new T20I captain of the Men In Blue. With India meeting Sri Lanka for the One Day International (ODI) series decider on Wednesday, Suryakumar confirmed his availability to play one match for Mumbai in the Buchi Babu Invitational multi-day tournament.

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Suryakumar Yadav wants to play for India in all 3 formats

Speaking to The Times of India, Suryakumar opened up about making his comeback in the longest format, "I want to play for India in all the three formats. Playing in Buchi Babu will give me good practice for the red ball tournaments this season," Suryakumar said. The 33-year-old has played a solitary Test for India in 2023. The senior batter made his Test debut against Australia at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium. The middle-order batter scored 8 (20) in India's massive win by an innings and 132 runs over Australia.

"Surya just called me to tell me that he wants to play in the Buchi Babu tournament, and will be available from the second match onwards (TNCA XI at the same venue from August 27-30). Who wouldn't a player like him to play for them? It's a huge boost for Mumbai, and I'm very happy with his gesture," added Sanjay Patil, who is Mumbai's chief selector. Surya is tipped to revive the Buchi Babu Invitational tournament. From Sourav Ganguly to Mohammad Azharuddin, several household names have featured in the tournament in the past. Sarfaraz Khan will lead the Mumbai side as Suryakumar is taking up the role of a pure batter.

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