Star India national cricket team batter and India T20I team captain of late, Suryakumar Yadav, was ruled out of the upcoming series against Afghanistan due to an injury he suffered while on the tour of South Africa. The Mumbai Indians batter revealed the extent of his affliction through a social post on his Instagram account, appearing in a leg brace and moving with the support of a crutch. Surya did, however, seem to see the lighter side of things, as evidenced by the dialogue he chose to lay over the video of him limping to his destination. (Cricket News)
"On a slightly serious note, injuries are never fun, but I’ll take it in my stride and promise to be back, fully fit, in no time!" wrote Suryakumar. "Till then, hope you all are enjoying the holiday season and finding little joys, everyday."
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Reports confirmed in the aftermath of Suryakumar Yadav's injury that the batter had suffered a Grade-II tear and was likely to miss India's three-game T20I bout against Afghanistan in mid-January. However, the Mumbai Indians batter is expected to be fit in time for the start of the Indian Premier League 2024 and, similarly, should be available to India for the ICC T20 World Cup in West Indies and the United States of America later.
Missing Suryakumar for any amount of time will be a significant blow for the Indian T20I team, given the form and leadership he has displayed in recent weeks. The 33-year-old is currently the top-ranked T20I batter in the world, further providing evidence of the talismanic qualities he brings to the table - and the absence of which is likely to hurt India in the short-term.
