Suryakumar Yadav set to return for Duleep Trophy ahead of Bangladesh Test series: Report

India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav is all set to return for the three-match T20I series against Bangladesh in October, reported Hindustan Times. The newspaper added that both the National Cricket Academy (NCA) medical staff and Surya are happy with his progress.

Popularly known as SKY, the Indian skipper sprained his right thumb while fielding in a Buchi Babu Invitational tournament against TNCA XI on day 3 of the match. Following this, he did not bat in the second innings.

"Surya's recovery is going well. He is almost 100 per cent and he knows it," HT quoted a BCCI official as saying on the sidelines of the Duleep Trophy match between India A and India B at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

Earlier, supposed to turn up for India C in the first round of the Duleep Trophy against India D in Anantapur, he was ruled out. Then SKY was sent to NCA where the medical team helped him recover.

Confirming about his unavailability for the first-round fixture, the BCCI said in an official press release on September 4, "The BCCI Medical Team is continuing to assess his injury, and a further evaluation next week will determine his availability for the second round."

What's next for SKY?

According to reports, SKY may get featured in the latter half of the Duleep Trophy, but it is still unclear if he can play from 12 September. Also, the BCCI has not named any replacements for Surya in the India C squad.

For SKY, the ongoing Duleep Trophy is extremely crucial to his test hopes. Though a great player in T20Is, SKY is yet to make a big name in Tests. He was given his Test cap during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia in 2023, but an injury ruled him out.

India is all set to play a two-match Test series against Bangladesh on 19 September.