Indian batter Suryakumar Yadav wants to return to the team’s Test setup in the future, stating red-ball cricket has always been his priority. SKY has been picked in the Duleep trophy and wants to use the domestic tournament as a launchpad to make his comeback in the Test team.

SKY has played a solitary Test match, and he could only score eight runs on his debut against Australia in 2023 at Vizag. Meanwhile, Suryakumar Yadav has scored 5628 runs in 82 first-class matches at an average of 43.62.

Yadav has proved his mettle in the T20I format and he is determined to grab his chances in the red-ball format.

“Red-ball cricket has always been my priority. When I grew up in the maidans of Mumbai and played a lot of local cricket, I started playing with the red cherry. The love for the longest format began there, and has always been there. I’ve taken part in a lot of First Class matches for more than 10 years now and I still cherish playing this format. There’s no question about it and that’s why I’m here before the Duleep Trophy,” Suryakumar Yadav said in an interview with Sportstar.

Yadav added he wants to earn his place back in the red-ball team and wants to perform consistently in the pristine format of the game.

“There are a lot of people who have worked really hard to earn their place and even I want to earn that spot again. I made my debut for India in Tests. After that, I got injured as well. There were a lot of people who got an opportunity and have done well too. They deserve that opportunity right now,” Suryakumar Yadav said in the same interview.

Yadav will play for Ruturaj Gaikwad-led Team C in the Duleep Trophy, which will kickstart on September 5.

“Going forward, if I have to play, then I’ll automatically play. That’s not in my control. What’s in my power right now is to play the Buchi Babu tournament, go on to play Duleep Trophy and then see what happens,” he added.

After Rohit Sharma’s retirement from T20Is, SKY has been handed over the captaincy baton.