'Give him as many games as possible': Former selector on Suryakumar Yadav

But despite the string of solid performances, the 30-year-old had a tough time breaking into the national side, with several other big names available for his position. That changed after IPL 2020 in the UAE.

For several years, Mumbai batsman Suryakumar Yadav has been knocking on the doors of the Indian selectors. The right-hander, who is currently the Mumbai captain, has been in tremendous form in domestic cricket and had also been a consistent performer in the Indian Premier League.

File image of Suryakumar Yadav. (Twitter)

But despite the string of solid performances, the 30-year-old had a tough time breaking into the national side, with several other big names available for his position. That changed after IPL 2020 in the UAE.

Suryakumar Yadav had a fantastic season once again, but this time he also showcased his match-winning skills on the big stage. His innings of 79* against Virat Kohli's Royal Challengers Bangalore would go down as one of the best innings while chasing in the tournament's history.

Still, Suryakumar Yadav was left out of the limited-overs squad that travelled to Australia, though, India head coach Ravi Shastri predicted his time will come.

A few months later, it has. Suryakumar Yadav has been named in the India T20I squad for the upcoming five-match series against England. Former selector Devang Gandhi opened up on the Mumbai batsman and said that if the Indian team want him to be a part of the T20I World Cup, they need to give him as many game as possible, including in the ODIs.

"Surya (Suryakumar Yadav) has had tremendous success for Mumbai Indians in the IPL batting at that particular slot. If you are looking at him going into the World T20, give him as many games as possible in the lead up. He should also be kept in the ODI squad," he was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

India will play 5-T20I matches against England starting from Thursday. The Virat Kohli-led side recently won the Test series 3-1.