Virat Kohli-led Team India didn’t feature Suryakumar Yadav in the playing XI for the first T20I versus England at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on Friday (March 12). As Surya has waited for quite some time for featuring in the Indian team line-up, many thought he will get a look-in for the series opener but Kohli & Co. had other plans.
Prior to the second T20I, SKY took to his official Instagram handle to share a picture of his batting at the nets and captioned it, “ROUTINES”.
The right-hander is leaving no stone unturned for a memorable debut whenever he gets a chance in the playing XI. Many former cricketers thought he might be preferred over Shreyas Iyer but the latter proved his potential with a fine 67 in the series opener. Thus, Team India might bring in Surya only if they plan to drop either Washington Sundar or Axar Patel and slot the talented Mumbai Indians (MI) batsman down the order.
It was a forgettable affair for the home side. Losing the toss and being asked to bat first, Kohli & Co. surrendered in front of Jofra Archer’s pace (3 for 23) as England restricted India for a paltry 124-7 before Eoin Morgan & Co. chased down the total with 8 wickets and 27 balls remaining.
Many ex-cricketers, such as Virender Sehwag and Ajay Jadeja, criticised Kohli for resting in-form opener, Rohit Sharma. He also might return to the XI as India need to level the series on Sunday.
