"Gautam Gambhir Would Himself Come Out To Bat": Suryakumar Yadav On Indian Team's Mentality
Since joining forces following the 2024 T20 World Cup triumph, the Suryakumar Yadav-Gautam Gambhir partnership has transformed India's approach in T20Is.
- Suryakumar Yadav credited Gautam Gambhir for instilling a "team-first" philosophy across the squad
- "If he gets his way, then he would himself come out to bat," said Suryakumar on the eve of T20 World Cup final
- "He has removed the concept of personal milestones. It's a team game," added the India captain
India captain Suryakumar Yadav reserved high praise for head coach Gautam Gambhir on the eve of the T20 World Cup final against New Zealand, calling the former opener a "team man" in his own right. Since joining forces following the 2024 T20 World Cup triumph, the Suryakumar-Gambhir partnership has transformed India's approach in T20Is. During a pre-match press conference, Suryakumar credited Gambhir for instilling a "team-first" philosophy across the squad.
"Unka bas chale, toh wo he pad pehen ke aa jaye (If he gets his way, then he would himself come out to bat). He has played in World Cups before and helped the team win. His mantra has always been to take contributions from every player. Cricket is one sport where one or two players cannot help you win the trophy. In every game, all of our players contributed. In the semi-final, that was the case. In a team sport, every batter needs to click for a complete performance," Suryakumar told reporters on Saturday.
With India on the cusp of history, Suryakumar highlighted how Gambhir focuses on extracting the best from every player while remaining completely indifferent to personal milestones.
"He has removed the concept of personal milestones. It's a team game, for example, Tilak scored 21 runs in 7 balls, it's almost similar to someone getting a fifty or a century. Both things are equally important to us. These are the things he focuses on. Whatever is important to the team, we do. These things spread positivity within the camp; if you leave yourself aside, then the team benefits because there is a common goal," he added.
March 8 could be the biggest day of Suryakumar's career as defending champions India take on New Zealand in the T20 World Cup final in Ahmedabad.
India are just one win away from shattering three major records. A victory would make them the first team to win three T20 World Cup titles.Â
Furthermore, if they get the better of the Kiwis on the big day, they will become the first team to successfully defend the title, and lift the trophy on home soil.
India Cricket Team
Gautam Gambhir