Suryakumar Yadav set to miss Mumbai's Ranji Trophy opener - Reports 

Team India batter Suryakumar Yadav is likely to be available for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy from their second group stage match onwards till national duty beckons. The 41-time winners have been drawn in Elite B Group of the elite domestic competition, which begins on December 13.

Mumbai are slated to begin their red-ball campaign with a clash against Andhra away from home. Their first home contest at BKC is scheduled to be against Hyderabad on 20.

Suryakumar has had a hectic workload, being part of Team India's white-ball squad. The team had a jam-packed schedule in 2022 as part of the T20 World Cup preparations.

The Mumbai-born batter has played 44 matches this year, before availing a break from the upcoming tour of Bangladesh.

Team India will gear up for a long home season in the first set of months next year, where Suryakumar is primed to play a role in the white-ball assignments. A source told the Times of India:

"Surya has been on the road playing white-ball cricket for India for the past 75 days, he has just returned home and is totally exhausted. He will take a short break, and come back refreshed. He will skip Mumbai's first Ranji match, but he will play for the domestic giants in their second match, from December 20, against Hyderabad at BKC."

Mumbai made it to the final of the Ranji Trophy last year, before being defeated by Chandrakant Pandit's Madhya Pradesh. They have already secured a domestic trophy for the season in the form of their first-ever Syed Mushtaq Ali title. Mumbai were eliminated by Uttar Pradesh in the quarter-finals of the recently concluded Vijay Hazare trophy.

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Suryakumar Yadav eager to make red-ball debut for Team India

The right-handed batter has arguably cemented his place in the limited-overs squad for the national team. However, his Test match ambition still remains far away as he is yet to break into the playing XI.

Suryakumar was under consideration last year when Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane were not up to their mark in terms of producing runs. However, with Shreyas Iyer effectively sealing the No. 5 spot and Pujara returning to form following a successful county stint, the Mumbai-born player's wait lingers on.

A strong Ranji campaign for Mumbai could be the catalyst that separates Suryakumar from a potential spot in Team India's middle order, making him an all-format player.

Will Suryakumar Yadav make his Test debut in 2023? Let us know what you think.