Suryakumar Yadav Statement Ahead of IND vs ENG: Before the first T20 match of the five-match series against England, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav recalled the time when he used to play at Eden Gardens in Kolkata during the Indian Premier League (IPL). The five-match T20 series against England will begin on Wednesday at the prestigious Eden Gardens. The second and third matches will be played on 25 and 28 January in Chennai and Rajkot. The fourth match of the series will be played in Pune on 31 January. Mumbai will host the final match of the T20 series on 2 February.
“It’s an old kind of feeling. It feels good when you come here. It feels good to think about it. When I sit in the room and think about when I played matches here in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 So that was also a beautiful memory,” Suryakumar Yadav said in a video posted by BCCI on X.
Suryakumar joined Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) from Mumbai Indians in 2014, a year when the franchise was looking to win the title. Playing for the Knight Riders for four years from 2014 to 2017, the 34-year-old scored just 608 runs in 54 matches. Furthermore, the Mumbai-born cricketer said that while playing for the Kolkata-based franchise at the Eden Gardens, he had never thought of leading the Men in Blue on the same ground.
🙏🙝🙈🙩
ft. Captain Suryakumar Yadav 😊#TeamIndia , #INDvENG , @surya_14kumar , @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/lB1MJse70w
— BCCI (@BCCI) January 21, 2025
The right-handed batsman said, “I remember when I came to KKR for the first time in 2014. From then till today, 10-11 years later, I never thought that I would ever lead India. But today “Standing on this field, thinking that I’m going to lead because it’s a historic stadium as well, it’s fun to think about and it’s been a beautiful journey.”
Young players Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Dhruv Jurel have retained their places in the 20-over team. Fast bowler Harshit Rana, who was in the T20I squad against South Africa but could not make it to the playing eleven, has also been included in the 15-man lineup for the upcoming series. The main topic of discussion will be Shami’s inclusion in the Men in Blue team. The 34-year-old fast bowler will wear the blue jersey after 2023.
Last year, Shami returned to domestic cricket with Bengal after ankle surgery which kept him out for almost a year. Shami was also a part of the Bengal team for the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Shami has made a brilliant comeback in competitive cricket, he last participated in the final of the ODI World Cup 2023. After recovering from ankle surgery and several setbacks, he returned to the field for Bengal in a Ranji Trophy match against Madhya Pradesh in November. Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana and Mohammed Shami will lead the Indian fast bowling. Whereas, Axar Patel, Varun Chakraborty, Ravi Bishnoi and Washington Sundar will lead the spin attack.
Indian team for T20 series against England: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Verma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel (vice-captain), Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakraborty, Ravi Bishnoi, Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper).
