India dasher Suryakumar Yadav will turn out for Mumbai in their Buchi Babu contest against TNCA XI, beginning here on Tuesday, with an aim to get his Test career back on track.
Shreyas Iyer, too, as part of the Mumbai squad, is keen to make a statement in this pre-season event since he last played a Test in February.
The star-studded Mumbai side will be led by Sarfaraz Khan, who too will be jostling to find space in a full-strength Test squad when the home season begins next month despite a promising beginning against England earlier this year.
Likes of Virat Kohli, K L Rahul and Rishabh Pant, who were not available for different reasons over course of the five games against England, are likely to be back for the two Test series against Bangladesh beginning September 19 in Chennai.
No prizes for guessing that Suryakumar, who led India to the series win in his first T20 series as skipper, would be the centre of attraction in the round three of the Buchi Babu match. Not figuring in the team's ODI plans for now, the 33-year-old is keen to represent the country in all three formats. His only Test appearance came against Australia in February, 2023.
He has since thrived in white-ball cricket and taken on additional responsibilities as the T20 International captain for the Men in Blue.
Effectively, the Buchi Babu outing will be a mere warm-up for Suryakumar and others in the mix, given they all will be part of the Duleep Trophy beginning September 5.
Suryakumar's last competitive outing in First-Class cricket came during the Duleep Trophy last year.
Playing for West Zone, Suryakumar could get only 71 runs in four innings at an average of just 17.75, with a top score of 52, while his side, led by Priyank Panchal, lost the final to South Zone by 75 runs.
Besides Surya, Sarfaraz and Shreyas will also be among the attractions in the Mumbai squad.
Sarfaraz, who made his Test debut earlier this year against England, has been promising with the bat, managing 200 runs in five innings at an average of 50.00, which includes three half-centuries.
While Iyer is yet to make a mark in the longest format after 14 Tests, since January 2023 he has managed only 187 runs in 12 innings, at an average of only 17.00, with a top score of only 35.
So, while there are no headaches for Sarfaraz ahead of this Buchi Babu meet, the forthcoming domestic season is more significant for Iyer, who will be leading Team D in the Duleep Trophy.
Mumbai's opponents TNCA XI will be led by R Sai Kishore, who was the leading wicket-taker in Ranji Trophy last season.
Teams (from)
TNCA XI: R Sai Kishore - captain, Pradosh Ranjan Paul - vice-captain, Mokit RS Hariharan, G Ajitesh, Indrajith Baba, Boopathi Vaishna Kumar, S Lokeshwar, SR Athish, R Sonu Yadav, P Vidyuth, S Lakshya Jain, S Ajith Ram, G Govinth, CV Achyuth, H Trilok Nag and V Yudheeswaran.
Mumbai: Sarfaraz Khan c, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Akhil Herwadkar, Divyansh Saxena, Musheer Khan, Vedant Murkar, Siddhanth Addhatrao, Suryansh Shedge, Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Himanshu Singh, Atharva Ankolekar, Roystan Dias, Mohit Avasthi, Sylvester Dsouza and Junaid Khan.
Match starts: 9.30 am (IST).
Read also| Farewell to Shikhar Dhawan: Indian Cricket’s 'Gabbar' Remembered as a Smiling Altruist
Read also| Waqar Younis Concludes Three-Week Role as Advisor to PCB Chairman
