In what could be a major boost for India, T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav batted in the nets at the BCCI Centre of Excellence for the first time since undergoing surgery for a sports hernia in June.
Suryakumar shared a video of him doing batting practice in the nets at the CoE in Bengaluru. He captioned the video with, "Can't wait to be back doing what I love."
The T20I skipper went to Munich, Germany, for consultation for a sports hernia-related injury. He went under the knife on June 25. He has reached India and was at the CoE for rehabilitation and fitness assessments. He had started training at the CoE a few days ago, but this was the first time that he took the willow in his hand and did the batting practice.
This is the second time in two years that the Mumbai Indians star batter has undergone a sports hernia surgery. He underwent the surgery in January 2024, too.
Meanwhile, the Asia Cup is set to be played from September 9 onwards in the UAE, with Afghanistan taking on Hong Kong in the opener. India, the official hosts, will open their campaign against the UAE on September 10.
India-Pakistan in same group
Meanwhile, India and Pakistan have been put in Group A alongside the UAE and Oman. The two arch-rivals will clash on September 14 at the Dubai International Stadium. They are likely to meet in the Super Four too, with another probable clash in line in the final. Group B features Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Hong Kong. Two teams from each group will qualify for the Super Four.
India are the defending champions of the tournament, having won it in 2023 by beating Sri Lanka in the final. However, Sri Lanka are the reigning champions of the T20 format, when they outclassed Pakistan in the 2022 final.
