Suryakumar Yadav is all set to lead the Indian T20I side in the first fixture of the five-match T20I series against England on Wednesday (January 22) at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Ahead of the game, the 34-year-old expressed his satisfaction with his rapport with head coach Gautam Gambhir and asserted that the team is moving in the right direction.
Gambhir has come under fire in the recent months due to the Indian Test team’s hapless performances. After losing the home series 3-0 against New Zealand, they faced a 1-3 loss in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. Although, the Men in Blue clinched the T20I series in South Africa with a scoreline of 3-1, VVS Laxman led the side, as Gambhir was busy with the Test team in Australia.
Now, Gambhir is under pressure with the Champions Trophy, scheduled to take place next month. If the Indian team doesn’t perform per expectations, his tenure might come to an abrupt end.
However, Suryakumar Yadav thinks Gambhir allows the players to play their natural game and is suited to take the team forward.
“I’ve played under Gambhir for four years, so I know how he works,” Suryakumar said. “Even without speaking to him, we know what we need to do. He wasn’t there on the tour of South Africa since he was preparing with the Test team, but we are moving in the right direction with him. He gives freedom, he allows players to express. He keeps things simple, he knows what is going inside a player’s head. He keeps things light and maintains a good atmosphere.”
Interestingly, Suryakumar Yadav has played under Gambhir’s captaincy in Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) from 2014 to 2017. Together, the duo helped the KKR side to clinch their maiden title trophy in the 2014 season.
Suryakumar Yadav wants potent Indian unit ahead of 2026 T20 World Cup
Suryakumar Yadav expressed his wish to form a set combination for the Indian team ahead of the Asia Cup 2025 and an all-important T20 World Cup. As per him, the batters need to have an understanding of their preferred positions and bowlers should have the capability to win games on their own.
“For me it is important that the T20 World Cup is one year away but I don’t want to think about that,” he said. “We want to enjoy the journey to that event instead. We want to make a team, understand which batters work well in which position, which bowlers can win you games single-handedly.”
Moreover, Suryakumar Yadav wants their chosen set of players to actively play along with each other to form a potent side, which can help them defend the T20 World Cup crown.
“It’s important for a group to play lots of games in the lead up. That’s what Gauti bhai and I will think about. We want to play with this group until the Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup.”
