Hiding his disappointment at being ignored for the national team, in-form Suryakumar Yadav is content with India 'A' opportunity v Kiwis
Mumbai skipper Suryakumar Yadav bats in the nets on the eve of the Ranji Trophy match against Railways at the Wankhede Stadium yesterday. Pic /Prakash Parsekar
SS Ramaswamy
Former India skipper, late Ajit Wadekar, waited for six years, scored tons of runs in domestic cricket before luck smiled on him when the national cricket selectors included his name for the home Test series against the West Indies in 1966-67 in which he made his debut.
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Now another stylish Mumbai batsman, Suryakumar Yadav, is waiting a long while for his India call-up after making his debut eight seasons ago this month against Delhi with a half-century and then scoring runs consistently.
Yadav is nearing his 30s and time is fast running out for the Mumbaikar who can play attacking cricket or defend dourly as the occasion demands.
His consistency has now been rewarded with a second call-up to the India 'A' ranks, the step below the final rung into the senior team, for the forthcoming away limited overs series of matches against the New Zealand 'A' squad.
While hiding his disappointment of being overlooked for national honours, the Mumbai Ranji Trophy captain sounded pleased for the opportunity that the selectors have afforded him now, albeit only in a series between "A" teams, when talking to reporters on Tuesday at the Wankhede Stadium.
"I'm obviously very happy to get a series and get that opportunity to perform at that level. But, keeping that aside, currently my full focus is on this game [from tomorrow against the Railways], which is more important. That series is there at the back of my mind, but you've got to stay in the present.
"Yes, my ultimate goal is to play for India. However, as I said, at the same time, you've got to stay in the present. You've got to follow your process, You just can't 'think' of going there. If you do the small things right, which I've been doing lately, that will automatically come," he said when asked for his reaction on being chosen for the 'A' squad after a seven-year gap.
He conceded grudgingly that he has swallowed disappointments on being ignored regularly for national honours after scoring runs aplenty in domestic cricket.
"It is a little difficult, because at the back of my mind, I keep thinking that I've got to play for India. However, at the end, I have to stay in the present. If it has to come, it will come automatically," he said.
"I'm really happy that when I meet people, they tell me that they're thinking about me. It's a really positive sign and that motivates me as well," added Yadav.
Bhajji questions selectors for ignoring Suryakumar
New Delhi: Veteran off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has questioned the selection policy of the BCCI after Suryakumar Yadav couldn't find a place in India squad for the upcoming T20I and ODI series against Sri Lanka and Australia respectively. "I keep wondering what's wrong Suryakumar Yadav has done? Apart from scoring runs like others who keep getting picked for Team India, India A, India B, why different rules for different players (sic)?" tweeted Harbhajan on Tuesday.
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