"There’s two names I’d bring" - Michael Vaughan urges India to pick T20 stars for their Test side post BGT 2024-25

Former England captain Michael Vaughan believes that swashbuckling batter Suryakumar Yadav and left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav would be valuable additions to India's Test team. His comments came after India's 1-3 away series defeat in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia.

Vaughan opined that Suryakumar and Rishabh Pant can play attacking cricket, with batters like Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill taking the more traditional approach. Speaking on the Club Prairie Fire YouTube channel, the 50-year-old said:

"There's two names I would bring into India's Test squad - Kuldeep Yadav, I would have him around the Test side all the time. And I wouldn't be scared of putting someone like Suryakumar Yadav in the Test team.

"I just feel he [Suryakumar] has the flair and the ability to take on the opposition and if you can have both Rishabh Pant and Suryakumar in the team, then, around that, the likes of Gill, Kohli will have to be rock solid and play the conventional way. Not negative but [batting] conventionally that will allow the firecrackers to have a go."

It is worth mentioning that Suryakumar has featured in just a solitary Test so far in his international career. The right-handed batter was dismissed for eight runs in his debut against Australia in Nagpur in February 2023. He has performed decently in first-class cricket, with 5,656 runs to his name at an average of 42.84.

Kuldeep missed the Border-Gavaskar Trophy due to injury concerns. He reportedly underwent surgery for a chronic groin issue in November last year in Germany.

---

"I would give the captaincy to Jasprit Bumrah" - Michael Vaughan feels Indian speedster is right candidate to succeed Rohit Sharma in Tests

Jasprit Bumrah captained India in the first and last Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Rohit Sharma's absence. Sharma missed the opening encounter due to paternity leave and opted out of the final fixture because of his poor batting form.

Michael Vaughan suggested that Bumrah was the ideal candidate to take over India's Test captaincy reins from Sharma. He pointed out that India's best performances on the Australia tour came when Bumrah was at the helm.

Adding that he would appoint top order batter Shubman Gill as Bumrah's deputy, Vaughan said in the aforementioned video:

"I would give the captaincy to Jasprit Bumrah, and the reason is the two performances that India were at their finest here in Australia were Perth and the SCG. If he'd not got injured, I honestly think they would have won that game; the pitch was doing so much. So, I would give him the captaincy but beside him, I'd have someone like Shubman Gill as the vice-captain."

Bumrah didn't bowl in the final innings of the 5th BGT 2024-25 Test due to a back injury. In the star bowler's absence, Australia chased down the 162-run target with six wickets in hand to clinch the trophy after 10 years.