After India won the T20 World Cup 2024, Suryakumar Yadav took over as T20I captain as Rohit Sharma retired from the shortest format of the game. Surya acknowledged that he adopted Rohit’s captaincy style in his leadership tenure which involves spending a lot of time with his squad off the field. Regarding India’s 0–3 Test series loss to New Zealand, Suryakumar Yadav said even though everyone works hard and sports are all about winning and losing, we all know that no two days are the same.
Prior to the first Twenty20 International against South Africa at the Kingsmead in Durban, Suryakumar Yadav praised Rohit Sharma’s leadership style in the press conference. The Indian T20I captain said Rohit taught him about how balance is key in life and that, even if you lose, your character shouldn’t change after performing well. This is a quality that every athlete ought to possess.
For Surya, Rohit is not a captain but a true leader
The world’s top T20 batter spoke about how a leader is the one who chooses how his team will play a specific format. Having played together for the Mumbai Indians of the IPL and Ranji team Mumbai for almost ten years, Suryakumar Yadav has come to like Rohit Sharma’s captaincy style. “He’s (Rohit) the one I keep seeing when I’m on the ground. How he handles his bowlers, maintains his calmness, and deals with everyone both on and off the field. I am familiar with his handling of his players and what he wants of them. Since he has been successful, I have also followed his path. Of course, I added my own spice (his own thoughts) to it. It’s been going well,” said Surya said with a giggle.
Furthermore, Suryakumar Yadav also spoke about how he focus on things both on and off the field, to get the best out of his players. He remarked, “To keep his team members comfortable, you can guess how much time a leader will spend with them. I try that with my boys as well. Little things done off the field have an effect on performance on the field, therefore even when I’m not playing, I try to spend time with the players and eat with them.” The Indian captain also felt that it’s vital to fully understand players’ mental health in order to bring out the best in them.