Suryakumar Yadav shines with the bat on his return to Ranji Trophy after almost 3 years

Suryakumar Yadav made a swashbuckling return to domestic red-ball cricket as Mumbai got off to a brilliant start in their second Ranji Trophy fixture against Hyderabad at the Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai on Tuesday, December 20.

Suryakumar, who last played a Ranji Trophy game in February 2020, was drafted into the playing XI for the game against Hyderabad. The Mumbai Indians (MI) batter came out to bat at No. 3 ahead of skipper Ajinkya Rahane and made full use of the opportunity.

Coming to the crease in the fourth over after the dismissal of Prithvi Shaw, the dazzling batter went all guns blazing, taking the attack to the opposition bowlers. He scored runs all over the park and never allowed the Hyderabad bowlers to settle down.

By the time he got out lbw to Mehrotra Shashank, Mumbai were in a strong position at 176/2 with Yashasvi Jaiswal going hard from the other end. Suryakumar scored 90 runs off just 80 balls, scoring at a rate of over 112.

Meanwhile, Yashasvi has registered yet another century and will hope to make it count alongside Rahane (28*) as Mumbai look to post a daunting first-innings total.

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"I feel I’m close" - Suryakumar Yadav on his red-ball aspirations

After his superlative success in white-ball cricket over the last two years, many have urged the Indian selectors to include Suryakumar in the red-ball side.

The batter himself feels he is close to making it to the Test team and believes he can succeed at the highest level.

Speaking on his future in Test cricket in an interview with the Indian Express, he said:

"I feel I’m close. I have played this format. I have an idea of red-ball cricket because we all start from red-ball cricket. Yes, conditions are challenging but if you can apply your mind and alter your game, you can succeed."

He was earlier included in the Test squad for the five-match series against England in 2021 after several injury concerns in the Indian team but didn't get a game.

Suryakumar has enjoyed decent success in red-ball cricket, scoring 5326 runs in 77 first-class games at an average of 44.01, hitting 14 centuries and 26 fifties.

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