Suryakumar Yadav is facing a Grade-II tear in his ankle, leading to his exclusion from action for a period of seven weeks. The injury was unveiled through a scan conducted last week upon his return from South Africa, where he experienced the ankle mishap while fielding during the third T20I in Johannesburg. If the rehabilitation plan progresses as expected, Suryakumar is anticipated to regain fitness by the first week of February.

Unfortunately, this means that Suryakumar will be unavailable for the upcoming three-T20I series against Afghanistan at home, set to commence on January 11. A source within the Indian cricket board revealed, “He will take some time to recover. He will have to report to the National Cricket Academy later to do his rehabilitation. He is surely going to miss the Afghanistan series.”

Suryakumar had initially addressed his injury after India’s triumph in the third T20I in Johannesburg, stating, “I am good. I am walking, so good.” The injury occurred when he lost balance while attempting to stop a ball in the field.

The responsibility of T20I captaincy had been handed to Suryakumar in the absence of Hardik Pandya, who was recovering from an ankle injury sustained during the 50-over World Cup. With Hardik Pandya still sidelined, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) may need to identify a new captain for the Afghanistan series, which kicks off shortly after the conclusion of the Test series in South Africa.

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