Kolkata, January 21: T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav admitted that it hurts not to have performed well enough to earn a place in India's Champions Trophy squad.
India named its 15-player squad for next month's marquee event, which will begin on February 19, with the Rohit Sharma-led side starting its title defense the following day.
Among the notable omissions, Suryakumar was one of the top stars who failed to make the cut for the 15-player squad. He admitted that his performances were not up to the mark, which prevented him from making a case for his inclusion.
"Why will it hurt? If I did well, I would have been in the Champions Trophy squad. I have not done well, so I need to accept it. If you look at the squad, it is looking good. All players are good performers. I am happy for them. It hurts that I have not done well," Suryakumar said in the pre-match press conference on Tuesday ahead of the first T20I against England.
The 34-year-old made his last appearance in One Day International cricket during India's defeat to Australia in the ODI World Cup 2023 final in Ahmedabad.
Suryakumar's performance in List A cricket has been underwhelming. In his last five appearances in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, the explosive batter has managed just 38 runs for Mumbai.
For the upcoming Champions Trophy, Rohit Sharma will captain the side, and right-hand batter Shubman Gill will serve as his deputy.
The tournament will run from February 19 to March 9. It will be hosted by Pakistan and the UAE, with India playing its matches in the UAE under a hybrid model. The eight-team tournament will feature 15 50-over matches and will be played across Pakistan and in Dubai.
India squad for ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja.
