Suryakumar Yadav is set to return to action for the final round of the Duleep Trophy 2024 after getting a clearance for the NCA on Wednesday. The star batter missed the first two fixtures due to an injury but has been cleared fit for the third-round matches starting on Thursday, September 18.
The 34-year-old batter is set to replace Sarfaraz Khan in the India B squad for the final round. Sarfaraz has been selected for India's squad for the first Test against Bangladesh starting tomorrow in Chennai. Abhimanyu Easwaran-led India B will take on Shreyas Iyer's struggling India D side at Anatapur's Rural Development Trust Stadium B.
Suryakumar previously withdrew his name after suffering a minor thumb injury before the Buchi Babu Invitational in Coimbatore. Earlier he revealed his desire to do well in domestic cricket and to return to India's Test squad.
Mumbai batter last played domestic red-ball cricket in the Duleep Trophy in June-July 2023. Suryakumar has scored 5628 runs in 137 First-Class innings at an impressive average of 43.62 with the help of 14 centuries so far. His return boosts India B's in-form batting unit further with the likes of Abhimanyu Easwaran, Musheer Khan and Narayan Jagadeesan scoring big knocks in the opening two rounds.
India B squad for Duleep Trophy 2024:
Abhimanyu Easwaran (C), Suryakumar Yadav, Musheer Khan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Navdeep Saini, Mukesh Kumar, Rahul Chahar, R Sai Kishore, Mohit Awasthi, N Jagadeesan (WK), Suyash Prabhudessai, Rinku Singh, Himanshu Mantri (WK).
Meanwhile, India B remain unbeaten in the 2024 edition of the 4-day red-ball tournament after beating India A in the first match and drawing against India C in the last match. With seven points from two games, India B need a win to confirm their spot in the final of the Duleep Trophy this season.
