A huge blow for India ahead of the T20 World Cup is that Suryakumar Yadav is sidelined till February, according to reports

Ankle damage suffered by Suryakumar Yadav might sideline him for seven weeks, which would be a significant blow to India’s T20 World Cup preparations in 2024. According to reports, Suryakumar, who filled in as skipper for India during their just-ended Twenty20 International series against Australia and South Africa, tore a Grade-II ligament in his ankle.

The Indian Express reports that last week, upon Suryakumar’s return to India from South Africa, where he had injured his ankle during the third Twenty20 International in Johannesburg, his ankle was examined. The only T20I matches left for India until they compete in the T20 World Cup are the next three-match series against Afghanistan, which he will now miss due to the severity of his injury. However, it should be mentioned that the players will compete in the Indian Premier League (IPL) before the major competition, which the USA and the West Indies are hosting.

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The South African innings’ third over was when the event took place. That day, Suryakumar, who had previously scored his fourth T20I century, went for the ball and injured his ankle while scooping it up and threw it. Vice-captain Ravindra Jadeja ended up captaining the team for the remainder of the match after helping him off the field with assistance from the physios. India triumphed by an overwhelming 106 runs, and Suryakumar got player of the match honors for the first century in his career. When the players were being presented after the game, he was questioned about the injuries. “I’m doing OK. It’s not that serious since I can walk,” he had said.

In lieu of Hardik Pandya, who was still recovering from an ankle injury he suffered during India’s 2023 World Cup match against Bangladesh, Suryakumar has been leading the team. No information has been released on Pandya’s ability to recover in time for the January 11 start of the series against Afghanistan.

When Suryakumar returned to T20Is after the 2023 World Cup, he was in imperious form. After Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, he became the third batter from India to reach the 2,000-run mark in the format. He now shares the record for most tons in the format with Glenn Maxwell and Rohit Sharma after his century at the Wanderers against South Africa.