Suryakumar Yadav set to play Duleep Trophy final round

Suryakumar Yadav is set to play in the final round of the Duleep Trophy 2024/25. He has been cleared by the National Cricket Academy (NCA).

The final round of the Duleep Trophy 2024/25 will begin Thursday (September 19), where India B will face India D, and India A and India C will take on each other. Both the matches will be played in Anatapur. 

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Suryakumar Yadav is replacing Sarfaraz Khan in India B

According to an ESPNcricinfo report, Suryakumar will replace Sarfaraz Khan in India B. While Khan is in the Indian team squad for the first Test of the two-match home Test series against Bangladesh, starting on September 19, Suryakymar will replace him in the Abhimanyu Easwaran-led team. 

Earlier, Suryakumar was named in the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led India C team for the first round of the Duleep Trophy 2024/25. But he was ruled out from the first round and second rounds of the ongoing Duleep Trophy due to a thumb injury. During the pre-season Buchi Babu Invitational in Coimbatore, Suryakumar got an injury while fielding.

Indian T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav is desperate for his Test comeback

The 34-year-old Suryakumar Yadav is the new T20I captain of the Indian national cricket team. During the India tour of Sri Lanka last July, he led the Indian team in the three-match T20I series, which India won by a 3-0 margin. 

As he is fit, Suryakumar is likely to lead the Indian team in the forthcoming home T20I series against Bangladesh, starting on October 6. India will also tour South Africa early in November to play a four-match T20I series.

However, Suryakumar wants to represent his national team in all three formats, as he is desperate to make his Test comeback. In February 2023, he made his Test debut during the Nagpur Test against Australia, where the right-handed batter scored eight runs. Since then, Suryakumar has been waiting for his next opportunity in Test cricket.