Suryakumar Yadav will miss the Afghanistan Series with an injury, and Big Star is also unlikely to play

Due to an ankle injury he suffered during the most recent series against South Africa, Suryakumar Yadav will not be available for the upcoming three-match Twenty20 International series against Afghanistan, which begins on January 11. The 31-year-old may have injured his ankle, which might take six weeks to repair, when fielding against South Africa in Johannesburg. “As of right now, the Medical Science team at NCA has determined that Surya is injured. He has reported for rehab work. He will not be allowed to participate in the three-week match against Afghanistan. He may play for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy in February to evaluate his health before participating in the IPL, as it is doubtful that he will be selected for Tests, a BCCI source told PTI on condition of anonymity.

Additionally, it is well known that Hardik Pandya’s chances of recovering from his ankle injury currently seem doubtful.

“There is no update on Hardik’s fitness status as of now and one can say there remains a big question mark of him being available before the end of IPL,” said a source.

The selectors may have to ask Rohit Sharma to captain the team in the absence of Surya or Hardik, unless they wish to go ahead and name Ravindra Jadeja as the series’ stand-in skipper.

However, Jadeja will play each of the five Test matches versus England, so he will need to manage his workload.

Ruturaj Gaikwad, the captain of the Asian Games, has also fractured his finger and will miss the series.

Against Afghanistan, Jitesh Sharma will maintain wickets

It has been reported that Ishan Kishan, a keeper-batter, prioritized his mental health after being away from the game for the previous year, citing “personal reasons” for his recent withdrawal from the South Africa Tests.

There are rumors that Jitesh Sharma will take wickets in his absence and that he could not be available for Afghanistan.

“Player privacy is respected by the BCCI, thus nobody will inquire as to why Kishan chose to forego the Tests. Maybe Rahul didn’t want to stay around once it was announced that he would be the keeper in the Tests. If you are not selected frequently, it does cost you.