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Cricket Players‘If left to Gambhir, he’ll pad up and come to bat’: India coach’s dislike for personal milestones rings aloud in Surya
Suryakumar Yadav shed light on how Gautam Gambhir is as the head coach and what sort of culture he has brought into the dressing room.
Ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026 final against New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium, India captain Suryakumar Yadav explained the reasons behind his team's successful run in the shortest format of the game, saying the entire unit has been focused on the bigger picture and no one has been going out there to complete their individual milestones. The 35-year-old then explained that head coach Gautam Gambhir has played an exceptional role in fostering this culture in the dressing room, where every contribution matters.
Ever since his playing days, Gambhir has been consistent in his statements, repeatedly saying that one should focus less on personal achievements, as, at the end of the day, the team's goal truly matters. Gambhir has plenty of experience winning tournaments, having been part of MS Dhoni's T20 World Cup-winning team in 2007 and the 2011 50-over World Cup. In the finals of both these events, it was Gambhir who put his hand up, playing a match-winning knock for the Men in Blue.
Ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026 final, Suryakumar was asked about what sort of conversations Gambhir has been having with him ahead of the finale and whether the former India opening batter hands out any special mantra.
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Answering the question, Suryakumar said that Gambhir is not one bit bothered about personal milestones, and that it's all about the team's needs. It is worth mentioning that after the Super 8s win over the West Indies, where Sanju Samson hit an unbeaten 97, Gambhir was quick to highlight the contribution of Shivam Dube, who hit two boundaries in the penultimate over of the game, taking all the pressure off India.
“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.
“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.
United front
Suryakumar also said it is a team effort with him and Gambhir, as the duo take the selection calls together, and if there is a tough call to be made, they make it a mission to inform the player the exact reason they are being left out.
“The tough calls are taken by us both. We need to assess how the team would benefit from adding one player. Earlier, we informed Axar Patel about the match-up thing, saying that if any team has a favourable match-up against an off-spinner, then we will do that. We had a clear conversation,” said Suryakumar.
“Sanju Samson's inclusion was a positive call. He was doing the hard work when he was not in the playing XI. He is bearing the fruit of his hard work,” he added.
