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Cricket PlayersSuryakumar Yadav gives himself a few slaps after joining Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni as India’s T20 World Cup-winning captain
Suryakumar Yadav couldn't believe he was now in the esteemed company of some of Indian cricket's biggest legends, including Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni.
Kapil Dev in 1983. MS Dhoni in 2007 and 2011. Rohit Sharma in 2024. And now Suryakumar Yadav in 2026. That’s it. That’s the complete list of India’s men’s World Cup-winning captains. In a country that has produced 269 Indian cricket captains, Suryakumar is only the fourth to have led India to a World Cup triumph, after his men thumped New Zealand by close to 100 runs in the final. This is India’s third T20 World Cup title and their third ICC trophy in a row. For a player who made his international debut only in 2021, becoming a World Cup-winning captain in less than five years speaks volumes about how far Suryakumar Yadav has come – as an individual, a cricketer, a batter and now, of course, a leader.
Suryakumar Yadav slaps himself
Hence, it was hardly surprising that when Surya walked up to reflect on the victory and his entry into an elite club featuring some of the biggest legends of Indian cricket, he had a tough time believing it. As he approached the stage, Surya gave himself a few slaps, almost as if trying to force the moment on him. This was already his fourth T20 World Cup; he had suffered heartbreak in the first two, in 2021 and 2022, before tasting glory in the next couple of editions. Even so, it was going to take a few moments before he could truly come to terms with the magnitude of the triumph.
“I think it'll take a little bit of time, but I’m definitely very happy. It’s been a long journey; it started post the 2024 World Cup. Jay Shah, Rohit bhai, they all showed faith in me and gave me the opportunity to lead. From there to coming here and winning it. We have been playing good cricket over the last two years, and we just wanted to maintain the good cricketing habits we had in the 2024 World Cup. Boys took it really well,” he said during the post-match presentation ceremony.
Surya's instincts to back his players
As Surya mentioned, it was shortly after Gautam Gambhir became the head coach that he was named India’s T20I captain, beating favourite Hardik Pandya to the role. One of the biggest tasks of a leader is to back their players when they are at their lowest. And make no mistake, Abhishek Sharma was going through a rough phase. Perhaps not quite in the same boat as Varun Chakravarthy, who had put up a decent show before the Super 8s, but heading into the final, question marks remained over their places in the XI. Surya’s backing, however, reflects what this team is all about.
“I think it's really important to understand what they are capable of. And I knew they had the match winners in them. The timing was perfect. Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma are top players, and we knew they would do something special, and they did it in the final. Bumrah is a once-in-a-generation bowler. I can call him a national treasure. He knows how it needs to be done, he is the best in the business,” mentioned Suryakumar.
That India won the World Cup should hardly come as a surprise. Ever since Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma retired after the high of Barbados, they haven’t dropped a single series. In fact, India haven’t lost more than one match in any of the series they have played since. Home or away, this team has been dominance personified, and the way they smashed New Zealand – the ever-consistent Black Caps – by 96 runs shows exactly what this group of players is made of.
