Domestic Cricket Still Shapes Stars: Indian Skipper SKY Urges Players To Stay ‘In Touch With Roots’ | Cricket News

Last Updated:December 08, 2025, 13:37 IST

Suryakumar Yadav in Cuttack urges T20 generation to value domestic cricket as India prepares for a five-game T20I series against South Africa.

Indian T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav, on Monday, had a message for the T20 generation: in a world obsessive about bite-sized cricket, domestic cricket still matters.

Speaking in Cuttack ahead of the primary T20I against South Africa, SKY said the shrinking international calendar is definitely pushing players back to where all of it began.

“With fewer international fixtures, players are spending more time in domestic cricket — in a way, it’s taking them back to their roots. It’s essential to play domestic cricket every time possible,” he said.

And it’s not only the children. Even India’s seasoned stars, SKY identified, dip back into home cricket to sharpen their skills.

“Many players return, stay in contact with the sport, and there’s at all times rather a lot to learn. It’s a vital a part of their development,” he added.

After having secured a 2-1 win over the Proteas within the ODI series, India is now turning its attention to the shorter format, where the Men in Blue are set to tackle South Africa over a five-game series.

SKY insisted there’s no appetite for experimentation with squad mixtures for the sake of it, but fairly a concentrate on developing their very own brand of cricket.

“We don’t want to alter an excessive amount of when it comes to mixtures. The main focus is on the form of cricket we wish to play,” he said.

With the 2026 T20 World Cup slowly appearing on the horizon, SKY is obvious: no free hits, no shortcuts.

“We now have to play 10 T20 games against two quality oppositions before the World Cup, so the immediate focus is on those matches,” he said.

“As we catch up with to the tournament, we’ll regularly shift our focus fully to the T20 World Cup.”

India faces South Africa in the primary T20I on Tuesday in Cuttack.

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