Indian captain for the ICC T20 World Cup Suryakumar Yadav has said that the left-hand-right-hand combination is given utmost importance, and teams need an explosive batting pair to maintain it in the powerplay. This seemed to be a hint towards Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma being cited as India’s World Cup openers.
India has made changes to the opening pair several times in the shortest format of the game. In the 2024 T20 World Cup, India opened with two of its stalwarts, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, both right-handed players. Many such examples have been seen before.
India has only three players who can play the opening role in this edition of the World Cup. His team consists of Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma. Considering Abhishek’s number. Despite being ranked No. 1 in the ICC T20I rankings, he is likely to retain his position throughout the competition.
Suryakumar Yadav blows apart Gautam Gambhir’s T20 strategy
Suryakumar Yadav claimed that right hand-left hand combination has no advantage in the T20 playing eleven.
Gautam Gambhir loves left-handed and right-handed batsmen opening the innings. He believes that the combination of two different types of batsmen makes the bowlers unstable and hence, the batsmen can freely utilize the fielding restrictions within the powerplay.
Suryakumar Yadav said, “It is a good headache. Left-right combination is given more importance. You have practiced a lot for everyone. Your job is to give the best performance for the team.”
Suryakumar Yadav: It’s a good headache. Left right combination has been exaggerated. You have done a lot of practice for everyone. Your job is to perform best for the team.
– RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) 6 February 2026
Suryakumar Yadav on ‘keeping bowlers relaxed’ in T20 match
Surya has truly been an inspirational captain for Team India. Although Suryakumar Yadav has lost his batting shine, he was an unstoppable captain and managed to lead India to many wins in the shortest format of the game. After playing 41 matches, India has lost only 7 matches under his captaincy.
He also led them to an undefeated title in the Asia Cup, which included three games where the Indian team defeated arch-rivals Pakistan. Hence, Suryakumar has introduced the important aspect of his captaincy, where he believes that bowlers are often under extreme pressure and should be supported, so that they can perform well easily.
Suryakumar believes that he should support the players on the field and often tries to console them. “This format is very difficult for the bowlers. You have to make them feel relaxed. Have fun on the field and enjoy it.”
Suryakumar excited to lead India in home World Cup
The first thing Suryakumar Yadav said after attending the ICC T20 World Cup press conference was how excited he is to lead the national team in the home World Cup.
The Indian star revealed that it is always good to play in home conditions. The buzz the Indian team gets at airports is lovely, while it is a privilege to lead India in the start of their campaign at the Wankhede Stadium.
“It’s exciting to play on home soil. The crowds come in huge numbers. There’s excitement at the airports. It’s a privilege to lead India on home soil, starting at the Wankhede. There’s a lot of excitement,” he suggested.
Also read: Salman Ali Aga announces exclusion of Babar Azam from playing eleven for T20 World Cup 2026
