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Suryakumar Yadav returns to training after surgery, eyes Asia Cup 2025
Suryakumar Yadav last played for India in a T20I series against England in February. PTI
Indian T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav has returned to training after recovering from a sports hernia surgery. The 34-year-old had flown to Germany in July for the operation and has now started light practice at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
According to ESPNcricinfo, SKY had his first net session last week. His fitness will be closely watched and his workload will be increased slowly as the Asia Cup 2025 gets closer. The tournament starts on September 9 in the UAE, and India will play their first match against the home side on September 10.
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Surya was reportedly expected to return for the Bangladesh series in August, but that series has now been postponed to next year. This was Surya's third surgery in three years. He earlier had ankle surgery in 2023 and the same sports hernia surgery in 2024.
Dream IPL season
Suryakumar Yadav had a fantastic IPL 2025 with Mumbai Indians. He scored 717 runs, the second-highest in the season behind Orange Cap winner Sai Sudharsan (759). He also became only the second Mumbai Indians player after Sachin Tendulkar to score more than 600 runs in a single IPL season.
His brilliant batting helped MI reach the playoffs. They beat Gujarat Titans in the Eliminator but lost to Punjab Kings in the next match. Surya was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament.
After IPL, SKY played in the T20 Mumbai League for Triumph Knights Mumbai North East. He scored 122 runs in 5 matches, but his team won only one game and finished 6th out of 8 teams.
What's next for him?
India's next T20 outing will now be the Asia Cup 2025. It will be held from September 9 to 28. The blockbuster match between India and Pakistan will be played on September 14, with more matches likely in the knockout stage.
This will be SKY's first major tournament as captain of the Indian T20 team. He took over the captaincy after Rohit Sharma stepped down following the 2024 T20 World Cup triumph.
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