Michael Vaughan wants Suryakumar Yadav in India's Test side

Former England captain Michael Vaughan wants Suryakumar Yadav, captain of the Indian T20I side, to be drafted into the Test XI. Suryakumar, who averages 42.84 in first-class cricket, played one Test against Australia back in 2023 but has since remained a white-ball specialist for the national side.

But Vaughan believes that Suryakumar, thanks to his ability to take down the bowlers, could end up forming a formidable partnership with Rishabh Pant in the middle-order. 

"There's two names I would bring into India's Test squad - Kuldeep Yadav, I would have him around the Test side all the time. And I wouldn't be scared of putting someone like Suryakumar Yadav in the Test team,” Vaughan said on the Club Prairie Fire YouTube channel.

“I just feel he has the flair and the ability to take on the opposition and if you can have both Rishabh Pant and Suryakumar in the team, then, around that, the likes of Gill, Kohli will have to be rock solid and play the conventional way. Not negative but [batting] conventionally that will allow the firecrackers to have a go.”

Recently, former India chief selector Kris Srikkanth also questioned the Indian management’s decision to swiftly move on from Suryakumar in Test cricket.

“Suryakumar didn’t have a very good start in Tests but he has the technique and he has the ability. But the selectors and the management have now boxed him into a white-ball specialist,” Srikkanth had said, questioning the number of chances being given to Shubman Gill.

Suryakumar batted once in the lone Test he played and scored 8 runs before being bowled by Nathan Lyon, trying to play through the off-side.