Arguably India's most demolishing batter in the T20I circuit, Suryakumar Yadav, has given a major update on his fitness following the ankle injury that he suffered during the 3rd T20I against South Africa at the New Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on December 14.
Suryakumar took to his Instagram account to post a video that shows him taking a stroll with a walking stick in his left hand to ease the pressure on his heavily plastered left ankle. "On a slightly serious note, injuries are never fun, but I’ll take it in my stride and promise to be back, fully fit, in no time!
Till then, hope you all are enjoying the holiday season and finding little joys, everyday," Suryakumar captioned the video.
Surya, 33, is unlikely to feature in India's upcoming bilateral T20I series against Afghanistan on home soil starting January 11, 2024, at the IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali. The development is a major setback for the Men in Blue as the right-handed batter is a key to India's batting forte in the shortest format of the game.
In addition to that, he led India to victory (4-1) recently during a five-match T20I home series against Australia and drew (1-1) a three-match contest in South Africa after the first game of the series got washed out due to incessant rain at the Kingsmead in Durban.
Hence, the Men in Blue will also miss the leadership of Suryakumar and it will be interesting to see who will take up the captaincy baton in his absence. 2023 was a fruitful year for Suryakumar in T20Is as he amassed 733 runs in 18 matches and finished as the leading run-getter in the format from an ICC full-member nation.
Afghanistan's tour of India 2024:
| Date | Match | Venue | Time |
| January 11, 2024 | 1st T20I | Mohali | 7:00 PM |
| January 14, 2024 | 2nd T20I | Indore | 7:00 PM |
| January 17, 2024 | 3rd T20I | Bengaluru | 7:00 PM |
