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NEW DELHI: The bond between captain and coach often defines the success of a cricket team, and India’s triumphant T20 era appears to be built on exactly that foundation. If the partnership between Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid once set the tone, the current leadership duo of Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir seems to have carried that trust forward.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Suryakumar, who led India to a successful defence of their T20 World Cup title with a commanding 96-run win over New Zealand in the final, spoke candidly about the understanding he shares with Gambhir.
“I think I have played cricket with Gauti bhai for four years and I knew how he thinks. He will take two steps, I will take two and we will meet somewhere in the middle,” Suryakumar said while describing the dynamic that has guided the Indian T20 side since the leadership transition after the 2024 World Cup.According to the skipper, the clarity between captain and coach has meant remarkably smooth decision-making.ALSO READ: ‘Stop celebrating milestones’: Gambhir’s strong message after India’s T20 World Cup triumph“Since we started working together from the Sri Lanka series, I don’t remember any time we had an argument over a player — whether we should play a particular player or not,” he revealed. “We both were always interested in making the team win and figuring out how we can put a player in a position that benefits the team.”That shared vision, Suryakumar explained, allowed the team management to operate with minimal debate over selection. “Many times we talked about the team and the playing XI or 15, and 14 players were almost always the same. If the success rate is this high, you don’t need to discuss it so much.”For Suryakumar, leadership also means investing time in players during difficult phases — a philosophy inspired by his predecessor Rohit Sharma. He pointed to teammates like Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma, who overcame lean patches to play crucial roles during the tournament.“When someone is not doing well, you try and spend time with him, take him out for dinners, talk to him,” he said. “Those are the players who at the right time will do something special for you.”The captain also emphasised the importance of openness in the dressing room. “Freedom of speech in the dressing room is very important. If you don’t listen to everyone, you can’t take everyone together and win a trophy.”Ultimately, Suryakumar believes honesty with oneself is the core of sustained success. “You will fail more times than you succeed in sport,” he said. “But you have to be true to yourself — you can’t cheat the man in the mirror.”
