'I want to earn that spot again': Indian T20I captain wants to play the toughest format

Indian T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav has expressed his desire to play Test cricket for the country. The 33-year-old, who has played just one red-ball match for India, has said that he wants to earn a spot in the Test squad again. Suryakumar stated that he will work hard to perform well in the upcoming Duleep Trophy matches and see if he gets an opportunity to play Test cricket again.

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Suryakumar Yadav expresses a strong desire to play Tests

Suryakumar Yadav said that he is looking forward to playing Test matches for India but added that he is currently focused on doing well for Mumbai in the Buchi Babu tournament. He said that there are 10 Test matches lined up for India and he would love to get recalled in the squad again.  

"There are a lot of people who have worked really hard to earn their place and even I want to earn that spot again. I made my debut for India in Tests. After that, I got injured as well. There were a lot of people who got an opportunity and have done well too. They deserve that opportunity right now," Suryakumar Yadav was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo on Monday.

"Going forward, if I have to play, then I will automatically play. That's not in my control. What's in my power right now is to play the Buchi Babu tournament, go on to play the Duleep Trophy and then see what happens. But yes, I'm really looking forward. There are ten Test matches lined up and I'm obviously excited for some red-ball fun," he added. 

Suryakumar Yadav made his Test debut for India in February 2023. He played one match in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series between India and Australia at Nagpur. Suryakumar scored 8 runs in the first innings of the match and did not get a chance again as India won the game by an innings and 132 runs.    

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Suryakumar Yadav was recently named the full-time captain of the Indian T20I team after Rohit Sharma retired from the format following India's T20 World Cup win. In his first assignment as captain, Suryakumar Yadav led the Indian team to a 3-0 series victory in Sri Lanka.