Flamboyant India batter Suryakumar Yadav is expected to miss the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan in January after he sustained an ankle injury. Suryakumar, who led the Indian team in the last couple of T20I series, hurt his ankle during the third T20I against South Africa while fielding.
The 33-year-old twisted his ankle and it might be a suspected tear which could take more than a month to recover.
According to a report on PTI, the star batter has reported to NCA for his rehabilitation and might be unavailable to play against Afghanistan in a three-match T20I series starting from January 11.
“Surya has reported to NCA for rehab work and the Medical Science team as of now has ruled him injured. He won’t be able to play against Afghanistan which starts in three weeks time. Since he is unlikely to be selected for Tests, he will possibly play for Mumbai in Ranji Trophy in February to check his fitness before playing in the IPL,” a BCCI source told PTI on condition of anonymity.
Surya led the side in the absence of Hardik Pandya, who is also likely to miss the series. The Indian all-rounder is still recovering from his ankle injury which he sustained during the ODI World Cup 2023.
“There is no update on Hardik’s fitness status as of now and one can say there remains a big question mark of him being available before the end of IPL,” the source added.
With Surya or Hardik unavailable, the selectors might need to ask Rohit Sharma to lead the side unless they want to look forward and appoint Ravindra Jadeja, the stop gap leader for a series.
But Jadeja will play all five Tests against England and will need to take care of his workload management.
Young batter Ruturaj Gaikwad, who led the Indian team in the Asian Games, will also be missing the series due to a broken finger.
Even Asian Games skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad has broken his finger and will be out for the series.
Jitesh Sharma to keep wickets against Afghanistan
Ishan Kishan recently pulled out of the South Africa Tests due to “personal reasons” and there are reports of keeper-batter prioritising mental health after being on the road for the past year.
There are talks that he might not be available for Afghanistan and Jitesh Sharma will keep wickets.
“The BCCI respects a player’s privacy and no one will ask Kishan the reason why he decided to skip the Tests. May be once Rahul was announced as a keeper in Tests, he didn’t want to hang around. It does take a toll, if you are not picked consistently,” the source add.
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