'Want Selfless Team' - Suryakumar Yadav On India's Future Approach Under His Captaincy
Suryakumar Yadav wants India to embrace selflessness in future (source@BCCI)
India's T20I captain, Suryakumar Yadav, reflected on the importance of building a selfless team culture following his side's 3-0 series sweep against Bangladesh. This sweep marked a continuation of India's dominant performances under the leadership of Suryakumar and head coach Gautam Gambhir, who have focused on fostering a fearless and selfless approach within the squad.
India crushed Bangladesh to register a convincing 133-run defeat in the final T20I held in Hyderabad. Indian batters and their selfless and fearless approach steered the team to a 297-run total, the highest in the history of Indian cricket.
Sanju Samson slammed a 40-ball century before Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya continued the momentum forward. The chase was an impossible task for dispirited Bangladesh as they scummed to 164/7.
SKY deemed selflessness key to success in T20Is
Having said that, winning captain Suryakumar Yadav reflected on selflessness being a key trait of the team's culture under his captaincy. Suryakumar noted that the team's camaraderie has been a driving force behind their success, both on and off the field.
"I think we have achieved a lot as a team. Most importantly as I said at the start of the series, I want to have selfless cricketers in my team. We want to be a selfless team and as Hardik [Pandya] said, we want to just enjoy each others' performance on the field and off the field and spend as much time as possible and that camaraderie is carrying on the field and we're having some fun."
He further credited Gautam Gambhir for reinforcing this spirit, recalling that the coach urged the players to always prioritise the team's goals over individual achievements, regardless of the situation.
"The chat around the team has been like that. Gauti bhai said the same thing at the start of the series and when we went to Sri Lanka as well: 'no one is bigger than the team'. If you're at 99 or 49 or anything, if you feel you've to hit the ball out of the park for the team, you have to hit it and Sanju did the same thing. Really happy for him."
Indeed, India's dominant series win, marked by Samson's breathtaking innings, has set a high standard as the team continues to evolve under the leadership of Suryakumar and Gambhir. This focus on selflessness could well be a defining factor in India's future success in the T20 format.
Sanju Samson credited Rohit Sharma for aggressive mindset
Meanwhile, centurion Sanju Samson revealed Rohit Sharma being the inspiration behind his aggressive brand of cricket. He added that Rohit's message after the 2022 World Cup was to play aggressively, and that same mindset was later embraced by Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir. The duo encouraged the team to be fearless and that backing resulted in a record total in Hyderabad.