Suryakumar Yadav fit to play final round of Duleep Trophy

Suryakumar Yadav has been cleared by the National Cricket Academy to play in the final round of 2024-25 Duleep Trophy, beginning in Anantapur on Thursday.

He will replace Sarfaraz Khan in the Abhimanyu Easwaran-led India B, who take on the Shreyas Iyer-led India D. Sarfaraz is part of India's Test squad, which takes on Bangladesh in a two-Test series starting in Chennai on Thursday.

Suryakumar had been withdrawn from the squad prior to the first round as a precautionary measure to nurse a thumb injury. He had complained of some discomfort while gripping the bat after sustaining a blow on his right thumb while fielding at the pre-season Buchi Babu Invitational in Coimbatore.

Suryakumar, India's T20I captain, hasn't featured in any form of first-class cricket since last year's Duleep Trophy in June-July. However, prior to the season, Suryakumar had expressed a desire to compete for a spot in India's Test team.

"There are a lot of people who have worked really hard to earn their place and even I want to earn that spot again," Suryakumar had said last month. "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.

"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 [ongoing tournaments like Buchi Babu and Duleep] and then see what happens. But yes, I'm really looking forward to it. There are ten Test matches lined up [for India this season] and I'm obviously excited for some red-ball fun."

Suryakumar is most likely to be in action next during the home T20Is against Bangladesh in October, which could mean his unavailability for at least the first round of the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season that's set to kick off on October 11.

India B, who opened the tournament with a thumping win over a star-studded India A, are currently second in the four-team table. An outright win in their final game will give them a good chance of clinching the title.