“Shot hai yaar”: Suryakumar turns cheerleader during batting nets session ahead of 1st Bangladesh T20I

Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh) [India], October 6 (ANI): The Indian team batters sweat it out in nets ahead of the first T20I against Bangladesh in Gwalior, which will take place on Sunday.

The T20I series against Bangladesh starts from today. The three-match series will see matches being played in Delhi and Hyderabad on September 9 and 12 as well.

The official X handle of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) posted a video on their account of Washington Sundar, Rinku Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy and other stars hitting the ball out of the park in the nets.

All these players had found a cheerleader in their skipper Suryakumar Yadav, who was yelling “Shot hai yaar” (What a shot) after every fine hit. Complementing Rinku, Suryakumar also said, “Brutal power”.

Suryakumar has led India in 10 T20Is, winnning seven, losing two and tying one. He has had series win against Australia (at home) and Sri Lanka (away) and a draw against South Africa (away).

BCCI on Saturday released a statement to rule Dube out of the series and named young Tilak Varma as his replacement. The southpaw will link with the Indian team in Gwalior on Sunday morning ahead of the opening T20I.

“All-rounder Shivam Dube is ruled out of the three-match T20I series owing to a back injury. The Senior Selection Committee has named Tilak Varma as Shivam’s replacement. Tilak will link up with the squad in Gwalior on Sunday morning,” BCCI said in a statement.

Tilak had a blistering outing for the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. He showed his knack for garnering runs effortlessly by taking the fight against the opposition bowlers. He also has had some really fine showings for India in T20Is.

In 13 IPL 2024 matches, he racked up 416 runs at an average of 41.60 at a strike rate of 149.64. His explosiveness in the cash-rich league was further glistened by 35 fours and 19 towering maximums.

The 21-year-old has represented India in 16 T20Is, garnered 336 runs, striking at 139.41 and averaging 33.60 with two fifties to his name.

Suryakumar confirmed during the pre-match presser on Saturday that that Sanju Samson will feature alongside youngster Abhishek Sharma in the opening slot for the T20I series against Bangladesh. Samson, who usually comes out to bat at number three spot or down in the middle order, is set to feature as an opener, a rare sight for the Indian fans to behold.

The 29-year-old wicketkeeper, who made his debut in 2015, has been in and out of the Indian setup and is striving hard to establish himself as a mainstay for the Indian team.

Before this, Team India played a two-match Test series against Bangladesh, which they won 2-0.

India’s T20I squad for Bangladesh series: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Riyan Parag, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Tilak Varma, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, and Mayank Yadav.