India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav made his Test debut against Australia in Nagpur on February 7, 2023. He was in the first 11 for the first Test of the 2023 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but the star batsman couldn’t do much and took eight in the first innings.

He was replaced in the first eleven by Shreyas Iyer in the second Test match in Delhi and was never selected in the red-ball squad again after the India-Australia series.

However, the 33-year-old star batsman, who played a major role in India winning the T20 World Cup 2024, has now expressed his desire to play for India in all three formats of the game and hopes to make a return to the Test team by doing well in domestic cricket.

“I want to play for India in all three formats,” Suryakumar told Times of India.

Ahead of the start of the upcoming red-ball season, Surya will be playing for Mumbai in the Buchi Babu invitational cricket tournament. The star cricketer was initially not included in the Sarafraz Khan-led team but was later added to the squad after he informed the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) selection committee chairman Sanjay Patil of his desire and availability to play in the tournament.

“I will be playing in the Buchi Babu tournament. This will give me a good practice session before the domestic season starts. I will join the team after the 25th. I am ready to play whenever I am free for Mumbai and the club team,” Surya told The Indian Express.

Surya’s comments come a few weeks after India’s chief selector Ajit Agarkar said the board was currently considering him only for the shortest format of the game and hence he was not selected in India’s squad for the recently concluded three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka.

Having played one Test, 37 ODIs and 71 T20Is for India since making his debut against England in March 2021, Surya last appeared in an ODI match against Australia in Ahmedabad on 19 November 2023. He was criticised for his poor display with the bat in the 2023 ODI World Cup final, which India lost by six wickets.