New Delhi
India’s T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav believes that overcoming the fear of failure in high-pressure knockout matches has been central to the team’s remarkable run of success over the past 15 months. Since clinching the T20 World Cup in June 2024, India have added two more major trophies — the Champions Trophy in February and another Asia Cup title last month under Suryakumar’s leadership.
Reflecting on this golden phase, Suryakumar said India’s resurgence stems from a fearless, attacking style of play. “In the last year and a half, when we began winning championships, we changed our approach. In knockout games, we decided not to fear failure — just to play our natural game, give our best, and not worry about the result,” he said at a Skyscanner event.
India’s triumph in Barbados last year ended a decade-long wait for an ICC trophy. Suryakumar credited a major mindset shift for turning things around. “After the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, we realized we had to do something different if we wanted to win big tournaments. That’s the culture we built — focusing on intent and belief,” he explained.
The dynamic batter also acknowledged Rohit Sharma’s influence on his leadership journey. “Rohit has been like an elder brother to me. From my early days in domestic cricket to our time together at Mumbai Indians, I’ve learned a lot about captaincy and man-management from him,” Suryakumar said, praising Rohit’s calm handling of pressure on and off the field.
