IND vs AUS: “I Am Ready If They Need Me” – Suryakumar Yadav Ready To Embrace Test Challenge

Published - 26 Dec 2022, 07:22 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:15 AM

Rahul Dravid and Suryakumar Yadav (PC-Twitter)

The 32-year-old India National Cricket Team star middle-order batter Suryakumar Yadav, who is currently at the top position in the ICC Men’s T20I Batting Rankings, has said that he is ready to play Test cricket if the management demands.

Suryakumar Yadav made his debut in international cricket for India in 2021 and so far he has featured in 16 ODIs and 42 T20Is. Recently, former India head coach Ravi Shastri backed the middle-order batter to play in whites for India and labelled him as a three-format player.

In an interview with PTI, Suryakumar Yadav was questioned if he fancies his chances of making the India Test squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023.

“I started playing age-group national level cricket in red ball, so the answer lies there itself. There are a lot of tricky yet fascinating situations that you encounter across five days and you want to embrace that challenge. Yes, I am ready if they (Indian team management) need me,” he responded, as quoted by MyKhel.

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023 between India and Australia will begin in February and will be played across four venues in Nagpur, Delhi, Dharamsala and Ahmedabad.

I have always loved batting whether it is T20Is, ODIs or Ranji Trophy – Suryakumar Yadav

The star middle-order batter was further asked how will he change his game for 50-over cricket, with the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup being held in India in 2023. He responded that he just enjoys his game whenever he goes out to bat and will continue to play his aggressive brand of cricket irrespective of the format.

“I don’t like to think too much when I am playing any format. Because I enjoy this game, whenever I go to bat, I put up a show. What I always dream and visualise is that whenever I go in, I want to be the game-changer. I have always loved batting whether it is T20Is, ODIs or Ranji Trophy. If I can do what my team wants me to do in 40-50 balls, why should I bat 100 balls?”

Suryakumar Yadav also spoke about how he has trained his mind to cope with pressures in international cricket. He elaborated:

“I would say it was never impossible but certainly it was difficult. It needed a smart approach. Instead of doing a lot of quantity, I did a lot of quality practice. There were a lot of sacrifices made by me and my family. Before making my India debut, I had played 10 years of first-class cricket. Grinding it out at the first-class level, you learn a lot of tricks of the trade. So when you graduate to the international level and play different bowlers, all you need to do is express yourself.

“But let me tell you this. If you have gone through the domestic grind in India, you are ready for international cricket and when you start that level, you are not carrying any baggage. Just execute what you did at the domestic level.”

Also Read: IND vs SL: Suryakumar Yadav Feels He Is “Very Lucky” To Share Dressing Room With Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma