Suryakumar Yadav out of action till February due to Grade-II tear in ankle - Reports 

Team India batter Suryakumar Yadav will be out of action for the next couple of months as a result of a Grade-II tear in his ankle. The stand-in skipper suffered the injury during the third T20I against South Africa at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on December 16.

Yadav scored his record-equalling fourth T20I ton in the first innings of the clash, propelling India to 201-7 in 20 overs. He twisted his ankle after losing his balance in the third over of the second innings. He had collected the ball hit by Reeza Hendricks off Mohammad Siraj but twisted his ankle while throwing the ball.

He eventually had to be carried off the field after the medical team came to assess his condition by the boundary ropes.

The ace batter spoke about the injury during the post-match presentation after the Men in Blue bowled out the hosts for just 95. Vice-captain Ravindra Jadeja had taken over the leadership responsibilities in the absence of Suryakumar.

"I am good. I am walking, so good," Suryakumar had said about his injury after the series

According to a report by the Indian Express, Suryakumar Yadav underwent a scan upon his return from South Africa. Upon the assessment of the results, he is expected to be fully fit by the first week of February.

“He will take some time to recover. He will have to report to the National Cricket Academy later to do his rehabilitation. He is surely going to miss the Afghanistan series,” source in the Indian board informed.

The batter is likely expected to be seen in Indian colors directly at the T20 World Cup 2024, with the Afghanistan series proving to be the last bilateral T20I series before the ICC event. Team India's three-match home series against the Afghans is scheduled to begin from January 11 onwards.

As far as his preparations for the 2024 T20 World Cup are concerned, he will be fit well in time for the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL). He had a landmark season in 2023 and will play a huge role for the Mumbai Indians (MI) as they prepare for a new phase under Hardik Pandya.

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Suryakumar Yadav led India against Australia and South Africa recently

Suryakumar Yadav was handed over the captaincy for the home series against Australia initially. With Rohit Sharma's T20 future unknown and Hardik Pandya nursing an injury, it was the No.1 ranked T20I batter that led Team India to a 4-1 win over the Men in Yellow.

He retained his title as captain for the South Africa tour as well. He led India to a 1-1 series draw after rain washed out the series opener in Durham.