Team India star Suryakumar Yadav didn’t exactly enjoy his maiden outing with the bat in the ongoing first Test between India and Australia. Suryakumar, who is making his Test debut in Nagpur, was dismissed on 8 by spinner Nathan Lyon as he bowled the India batter through the gate. The 32-year-old Mumbai player had received his maiden call-up for the series against Australia and made his debut in the absence of Shreyas Iyer, who is nursing a back injury.
The call-up for Suryakumar raised a number of eyebrows as another Mumbai batter – Sarfaraz Khan – was snubbed by the BCCI selectors yet again. Sarfaraz had been producing consistent performances in the Ranji Trophy and had made a century in his last game for the side against Delhi; he had three centuries to his name in the current edition and his snub was criticised by a number of fans and former cricketers alike.
Mohammad Azharuddin, India’s former captain, wasn’t too critical of Suryakumar’s call-up but stated that Sarfaraz has performed brilliantly in domestic cricket and should be getting chances.
“I’m sure he will get his chance,” Azharuddin told Hindustan Times in an exclusive chat on the sidelines of the DP World ILT20 in Dubai. “It’s not as if he won’t get his chance. Honestly, I don’t know what the selectors or the captain have in their minds. He has done so well,” Azharuddin further said.
At the same time, though, the former India skipper – who has represented the country in 99 Tests – said he is excited to see Suryakumar play in the longest format.
“Suryakumar Yadav has played really well in the Ranji Trophy matches that he had played, so I’m looking forward to seeing him play the Test matches,” said Azharuddin.
Earlier, India had bowled Australia out on 177 in the first innings of the match; at the end of Day 2, the hosts had reached 321/7 with captain Rohit Sharma scoring a brilliant century (120). India had lost their seventh wicket on 240 but Ravindra Jadeja (66*) and Axar Patel (52*) have since stitched an important 81-run partnership, and will be aiming to further bolster India’s lead when they return to bat on Day 3.
