T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav passed his fitness test at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru ahead of the team’s Asia Cup selection meeting, which will be chaired by Ajit Agarkar.
The dashing batter, who was named Player-of-the-Series and last played in the IPL, had surgery in Munich, Germany, in June to repair a sports hernia in his lower-right abdomen.
“Fitness tests are mandatory before Return to Play (RTP) post-surgery. Surya has cleared the fitness test,” a BCCI source said.
After surgery, Yadav had posted on Instagram: “Life Update: Underwent surgery for a sports hernia in the lower-right abdomen. Grateful to share that after a smooth surgery, I’m already on the road to recovery. Can’t wait to be back.”
Having regained full fitness, the stylish batter is set to attend the selection committee meeting in Mumbai on Tuesday.
The Asia Cup will take place in the United Arab Emirates from September 9 to September 28. India will play their opening match against the hosts on September 10 and their marquee match against bitter rivals Pakistan is on September 14, both at Dubai.
With 717 runs during his incredible IPL season, the 34-year-old right-hander became just the second batter after Sachin Tendulkar to score more than 600 runs for the Mumbai Indians in a single season.
He led MI to the playoffs, where they defeated Gujarat in the Eliminator before losing to Punjab Kings in Qualifier 2, where he ended behind Gujarat Titans Orange Cap winner Sai Sudharsan (759 runs).
He then played in the T20 Mumbai League with Triumph Knights Mumbai North East, where he amassed 122 runs in five innings.
It’s unclear if the hernia discomfort got worse throughout this stage.
Suryakumar underwent ankle surgery in 2023, followed by a sports hernia operation.
