‘Enthusiastic about red ball fun’, Suryakumar wants to ‘find a place to test again’

As things stand, there are at least four others, including Mumbai teammates Sarfaraz Khan and Shreyas Iyer, and KL Rahul and Rajat Patidar, ahead of him in the order. But he wants to give long-form cricket another chance in a bid to add to his one-game haul last year, against Australia in Nagpur.

“A lot of people have worked hard to get their place and I want to get that place again,” Suryakumar said in Coimbatore on Monday after training in Mumbai on the sidelines of the Buchi Babu Invitational.

“I started playing for India in the Tests. Then I got injured too. There are many people who got a chance and did well. They deserve that chance now.

“Going forward if I have to play I’ll just play for myself. That’s not in my hands. The best I can do right now is play the Buchi Babu tournament, go ahead and play the Duleep Trophy and see what happens. But yes, I’m looking forward. There are ten Tests scheduled and obviously I’ve enjoyed the fun of the red ball .”

Suryakumar has not played a first-class match since last year’s Duleep Trophy 13 months ago. Since then, he has been recovering from a hip operation in Germany that kept him out of action for three months. During this time, he was part of ODI and T20 World Cup.

He was appointed as the full-time T20I captain after Rohit retired from the format following India’s title win in the Caribbean. Most recently, he led India to a 3-0 T20I series sweep in Sri Lanka. After Buchi Babu’s performance, he will head to Anantapur for the Duleep Trophy, where he has been named in the India C team led by Ruturaj Gaikwad.

“Red ball cricket has always been my priority,” said Suryakumar. “When I grew up in the madans of Mumbai and played a lot of local cricket, I started playing with the red cherry. The love for the long format started there, and it has always been there.

“I have been involved in a lot of first class games for over ten years now and I still love playing this way. There is no question about that and that is why I am here ahead of the Duleep Trophy.

“I will always look for an opportunity to come and play for Mumbai, be it in a first-class cricket match or a tournament like Buchi Babu. A lot of international players have played in this tournament before and went on to represent the country.”

Suryakumar’s return to long-form cricket comes at a time when India are set to play ten Tests in the next four months, starting with a two-Test series against Bangladesh on September 19. That will be followed by three against New Zealand and five away. , Australia.

“I still love playing this song. No question about it, that’s why I’m here before the Duleep Trophy”

In order for Suryakumar to make a test recall pitch, he will need a long series of points. He sees Mumbai’s upcoming opportunity as a boon to acclimatise to red-ball cricket quickly before the domestic season begins.

“We are lucky to have this tournament because we don’t get many day games at home during this weather,” he said. “Yes, you can train for a few hours, but standing in the heat for six hours and doing that for three or four days in a row is only possible for a game. That is very important going forward in the Duleep Trophy and, hopefully, in the Tests.”

Suryakumar has a great red-ball record, having scored 5628 runs in 82 first-class matches at an average of 43.62. This includes 14 hundreds and 29 fifties. He can be a key player in changing tracks, where he can bring his attacking game to the fore. But he stressed the need to adjust his game to suit the format’s requirements, and not bat as he would in a T20 game.

“It’s important to adapt well,” he said. “In Mumbai, you have red earth, but here [in Coimbatore] it is a black ground and the wickets are a bit different. You have to be one step ahead in the longer format which is challenging and you can’t bat like you would in T20.

“But at the same time, the goal is important. Everything else will take care of itself if you play. You can’t go into a game and think too much. You have to go out, put your heart into it and enjoy the game. Stay humble if you do well. Go back to the drawing board and start again if you don’t.”