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A very honest Suryakumar Yadav accepted that he wasn’t selected for India’s 2025 Champions Trophy because his performances haven’t been up to the required standard.
Suryakumar Yadav (PTI Photo)
India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav is not hurt by his exclusion from the 2025 Champions Trophy squad but feels bad that he hasn’t performed well enough to be in contention. He added that the team looked ‘really good’ even without him and that he was ‘very happy’ for the players selected.
Despite being arguably India’s best T20 batter, Suryakumar couldn’t crack the ODI format. He got significant backing from Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma between 2021 and 2023 and even played in the World Cup but managed just 773 runs at an average of 25.77 in 35 matches.
“Why would it hurt? If I did well, I would have been in the Champions Trophy,” Suryakumar said on Tuesday in a press conference on the eve of India’s first T20I against England. “If I don’t do well, it’s important to accept that. And at the same time, if you see the (CT) squad, it’s looking really good. Whoever is there, they are all good performers. They have done relatively well in that format for India and also playing domestic cricket and I am very happy for them.”
“It hurts to think that I have not done well. And if I had done well, I would have stayed there. If I haven’t done well, someone who deserves to have done really well, deserves to be there.”
Suryakumar was dropped after the World Cup where he managed a top score of 49 and played a severely criticized 18 (28) in the final against Australia.
‘Fun to see them bowling again’: Suryakumar
The T20I skipper also spoke about India’s bowling attack for the Champions Trophy which has been boosted by the return of both Jasprit Bumrah (subject to recovery from back injury) and Mohammed Shami.
“They have played a lot of cricket together. They are experienced bowlers. And whenever you play for India, it’s a different feeling, different emotion. Added responsibility and you love playing. So, it will be fun to see them bowling together again. Like we saw in the 2023 ODI World Cup. They bowled really well. And hopefully, we will see the same bowling in the Champions Trophy. “
India’s tournament campaign starts on February 20 against Bangladesh.
