Fit-again SKY gearing up to lead India at Asia Cup

Set to lead India at the upcoming Asia Cup 2025 in the UAE, T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav opened up about his recovery journey at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru after undergoing surgery for a sports hernia in his lower right abdomen.

The 34-year-old batter, speaking in a video posted by the BCCI, shared insights into his rehabilitation at the state-of-the-art facility. “I’m feeling good. Good process and routine for the last six weeks and fingers crossed. Feeling really well,” he said.

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Suryakumar revealed that the injury was detected towards the end of the IPL earlier this year, and given its similarity to an earlier issue, he was quick to get it checked.

“It actually got diagnosed close to the end of the IPL. I felt it because I had a similar kind of injury last year as well. That’s how I got to know. Few checklists were there, and I tried those things, and then I realised it’s time to go and do an MRI. I did it and it (injury) was very clear in that. I did it post IPL, went to Germany. It went really well. I knew how the recovery is going to be step-by-step. I was prepared for everything. We took one week at a time, and we’re here. I’m feeling good,” he explained.

He credited the trainers and physios at the CoE for tailoring his program with precision.

“I think the most important thing for me is that they understand how my body reacts to certain situations. All the strength and conditioning coaches and the physios understand how my body works, and accordingly, they planned all the workouts; it was all instant. As soon as I used to hit the gym, they would plan the sessions, and that’s how we took one week at a time.”

Describing the facility itself, Suryakumar was full of praise.

“Firstly, it is very massive, the place is huge. Let me talk about the gym first, I think, more than 30-35 people can train here together. I actually used most of the equipment here and some new equipment, which are actually very useful from the athlete’s point of view.”

“The place is amazing, not only for rehab but also for any contracted player or a targeted player who wants to come here for a few weeks to train, use the ground and everything. There are more than 60-70 wickets to practice as well, and then you have three grounds. Unbelievable facility and it’s the best I’ve seen for a really long time,” he said.

He also highlighted the role of positivity and support during recovery. “The most important thing during the rehab phase is to have good people around you, who will guide you really well and that’s what I did for the last 2-3 years whenever I was in rehab. I saw it as an opportunity to come back as the best version of myself.”

India begin their Asia Cup campaign on September 10 against the UAE, before facing Pakistan and Oman on September 14 and 19, respectively.