Suryakumar Yadav gets back to 'routines' as he awaits India debut

Mumbai batsman Suryakumar Yadav was seen putting in the hard yards in the nets as India prepared for the second T20I against England in Ahmedabad on Sunday.

The hosts were completely off the boil in the first T20I, going down to England by eight wickets. Contrary to some reports, Suryakumar Yadav did not feature in the playing XI in the first game. In fact, Virat Kohli sprang another surprise at the toss when he informed that opener Rohit Sharma was being rested.

Nevertheless, taking to his official Instagram handle ahead of the second T20I against England, Suryakumar Yadav posted an image of himself batting in the nets. In the picture, he was seen playing a lofted shot, with his eyes firmly on the ball. The 30-year-old captioned the picture:

“Routines." This was followed with the Nazar amulet and flexed biceps emoji.

India were comprehensively outplayed in the first T20I in Ahmedabad. Batting first, the hosts managed a paltry 124 for 7 on the board. Shreyas Iyer (67) scored more than half of India’s runs as the other batsmen struggled.

In response, the visitors reached their target in 15.3 overs as Jason Roy hammered 49 off 32 balls, smashing four fours and three sixes. Jofra Archer was named the 'Man of the Match' for his brilliant bowling figures of 3 for 23.

Suryakumar Yadav reflects on his cricketing journey

Very few cricketers harbour hopes of playing for the country at the age of 30. However, Suryakumar Yadav kept the flame burning despite numerous setbacks.

He eventually earned his maiden call-up to the Indian team for the T20I series against England. Reflecting on his cricketing journey so far, Suryakumar Yadav told the Indian Express in an interview:

“Maybe the passion for this game kept driving me. I always used to feel that the more you work hard, the more success you will get in the times to come. I think the love for this game and the passion for this game kept driving me. Obviously, when I was amongst the runs, I used to think I will get picked… etc, etc. But at the same time, you got to be in the present. I just thought I’ll try and do what I can do. Right now I have opportunities coming my way, and I just need to score runs. So that’s the only thing that kept me motivated.”

Suryakumar Yadav has been a consistent performer for Mumbai in domestic cricket and for Mumbai Indians in the IPL. Recently, former India player VVS Laxman hailed Yadav as a role model for youngsters for his appetite for runs.