Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar Yadav. Image-Twitter.

On Saturday as the BCCI announced a 19-man squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against England, it was one name, that of Suryakumar Yadav, which was all over the thoughts of the fans.

Despite a thunderous IPL 2020 for Mumbai Indians, he was snubbed from the tour of Australia. But now finally, there was elation and joy amongst fans as the 30-year-old was named in the squad to take on Eoin Morgan’s side in the T20I series which commences on March 12; all games will be played in Ahmedabad, where the remaining two Tests are scheduled.

Suryakumar Yadav’s name has been in the fray for a long time owing to his consistent performances in domestic cricket and in the IPL for Mumbai Indians, with whom he was a key member of their title-winning campaigns in the last two seasons.

Rishabh Pant, India
Suryakumar Yadav [Image Credit: IPLT20]
For the Rohit Sharma-led franchise, Suryakumar Yadav averages 35 with the bat at a strike rate of 135 – moreover, he showed in the previous season that he can bat with alacrity in the middle-overs, which is a much-needed aspect in T20 cricket these days.

The feeling is surreal: Suryakumar Yadav

A day after he was given his maiden call-up to the national setup, the earnest batsman took to Twitter to express his feelings.

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The Mumbai-born batsman posted an image of him sitting calmly in the middle of the pitch at the D Y Patil Stadium, where he has ground a lot in domestic cricket.  Yadav captioned the image as “The feeling is surreal,” highlighting his happiness and relief to finally make the cut for the national team.

India vs England 2021: Suryakumar Yadav Tweets After His Maiden India Call-Up
Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav [Image Credit: IPLT20]
Along with Suryakumar Yadav, his Mumbai Indians teammate, Ishan Kishan was also given his maiden India call-up, just hours after he blasted 173 runs off 94 balls in the Vijay Hazare Trophy match. Kishan also had a breakthrough IPL season last year where he smothered 516 runs at 57.33 and a strike rate of 145.76.

Rajasthan Royals all-rounder, Rahul Tewatia and Kolkata Knight Riders spinner, Varun Chakravarthy are also included in the national set-up for the first time after their brilliant performances in the IPL 2020. Pacer, Bhuvneshwar Kumar makes his long-awaited comeback too.

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