India won the 2024 T20 World Cup and since then, they have only affirmed their status as world champions in the format by going on a dominant run in the series that they have played since. Suryakumar Yadav was their captain throughout this period and while his batting form took a hit, it hardly mattered to the team as the likes of Abhishek Sharma, Hardik Pandya and Sanju Samson filled in for him in the big-hitting department. India head coach Gautam Gambhir has now said that while Suryakumar’s sheer ability with the bat makes him a natural leader, the latter’s ability to handle the players is what makes him a great captain. “He is a phenomenal leader of men, not by what he does on the field. The kind of batter he is, the kind of shots he can play, all that for me is to one side. The way he relates with the players, talks to them and spends time with them, how relaxed he is on the field,” said Gambhir on Star Sports. “Sometimes as a coach, you know you can think about a lot of other things because you know that he is going to keep the atmosphere pretty much calm. What any coach can dream of. For me, I think, Surya the leader has ticked every box, which has made my life a lot easier. It’s a great thing to have someone like him leading the country because his heart is in the right place and he takes the right decisions especially when things are under pressure.” In the time between the 2024 and 2026 T20 World Cups, India played eight bilateral T20I series and an Asia Cup and won all of them. Suryakumar was captain in seven of those series, with the only one he didn’t play being the T20I series in Zimbabwe right after the 2024 T20 World Cup. India also won the Asia Cup under Suryakumar.
‘Made my life a lot easier’: Gautam Gambhir on Suryakumar Yadav’s captaincy
