‘Someone suggested we try a hotel change’: Suryakumar Yadav reveals India’s superstition before England semifinal

Superstition and sports go a long way back in time. Many cricketers have long been superstitious figures. From the great Sachin Tendulkar wearing his left pad first and avoiding watching matches during key moments, to Kapil Dev wearing a chain with a Lord Shiva pendant, to Steve Smith not being able to sleep unless he has batted in the first innings of a Test, there have been countless incidents of players believing in a superstition or a routine that helps them keep their mind in place.

The newly minted T20 World Cup-winning captain, , revealed a similar superstition which helped India win the high-pressure semifinal against England and eventually the World Cup.

Suryakumar, while speaking to The , revealed that the team changed their hotel ahead of the semifinal clash against England after someone’s suggestion, leaving no stone unturned in their efforts.

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He said, “We were on the flight to Wankhede for the semi-final when someone suggested we try a hotel change. Many teams have done it. We didn’t want to leave anything on the table that could take us closer to our goal. So if someone has won from there, let’s try it.”

India defeated England by 7 runs in a high-scoring thriller, where Sanju Samson and shone for the home team, while Jacob Bethell played a blinder of an innings for the visitors.

In , ahead of the semifinal, the team had also rescheduled their practice session due to a lunar eclipse. The practice session, which was scheduled for 6 PM on Tuesday, was postponed.

It is believed that activities during a lunar eclipse are considered inauspicious. “The team found out that since it is chandra grahan, one should avoid doing anything good,” a source had confirmed to this newspaper. “As India is playing the semifinal against England, the team wanted to start on a positive note. Many felt that we should push the practice time until after 6:40 PM. The team management agreed to it and practice was postponed by an hour.”

India also broke the jinx of losing ICC events at the Narendra Modi Stadium in when they defeated New Zealand to lift their third T20 World Cup title. Suryakumar believed that the stadium had no jinx. “People were saying India don’t win in Ahmedabad… this after the 2023 final. But look at it now. We’ve won there, in that same stadium. Now we know there’s no problem with the stadium.”

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