Team India captain Suryakumar Yadav has given the credit for the team’s continuous success to former captain Rohit Sharma. Ahead of the much-awaited ICC T20 World Cup 2026 final, Surya said that playing under Rohit for many years helped him learn how to lead a championship-winning team.
India are set to face New Zealand in the final on Sunday, March 8 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The Men in Blue reached the summit clash after a thrilling seven-run win over England at the Wankhede Stadium. Surya’s leadership style has become a major talking point among cricket fans.
I only follow the footsteps of Rohit Sharma – Suryakumar Yadav
During the pre-match press conference, Suryakumar Yadav was asked about his captaincy style. Suryakumar said that while playing under Rohit Sharma, he observed his tactics and fundamentals very closely. Surya said that he has tried to implement the same successful strategies.
“Sir, the shoes are mine, I just follow his footsteps. The way, where he left off, I got to learn a lot of things from him when I was playing under him. So, I also adopted the same tactics, the same fundamentals.”
Surya said, “I have played a lot of cricket with Rohit. I know how he worked. So, I tried to implement the same things with some of my ideas. And it has worked really well.”
They don’t let me talk much – Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar Yadav also shared his philosophy on handling young players in the dressing room. He believes that being too strict or acting like a “big brother” does not always work. Surya said that he likes to give complete freedom to the players to express themselves and play their natural game.
Surya replied, “They don’t let me talk much in the dressing room. They set their own terms. So, I have seen that when they get freedom, they become a different character on the field.”
“I started joining this team after 5-6 months (of captaincy). After that, I understood that there is no point in being an elder brother or a father. You have to let them go. There is no point in holding on to them. You have to let them loose. Only then you can get the best out of them.”
He said, “Every player’s skills and strengths are different. It’s not that I haven’t said anything to anyone. I have talked to players. But the percentage of people who feel that I have abandoned them has increased from the beginning till now. So, I have not said much to anyone.”
Suryakumar Yadav’s batting statistics in T20 World Cup 2026
Suryakumar Yadav has made important contributions with the bat throughout the T20 World Cup 2026. He is currently the team’s second-highest run-scorer in the final against New Zealand. SKY has scored 242 runs in eight innings at an average of 34.57 and strike rate of 137.50.
The right-handed batsman started the tournament with a brilliant inning of 84* off 49 balls against USA in Mumbai. Although he has failed to replicate the same explosive form in recent matches, he has still made several useful contributions.
After a disappointing dismissal of 11 runs off six balls in the semi-finals, the Indian captain will be desperate to play a match-winning innings in the final on Sunday.
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