Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav believes that the mindset to put the team first proved crucial as India secured a historic third title at the Men's T20 World Cup. In a commanding final played in Ahmedabad, India beat New Zealand by 96 runs on Sunday. The victory was not only emphatic but also historic, as India became the first side in the tournament’s history to successfully defend the Men’s T20 World Cup title. They also became the first team to lift the trophy on home soil.
Despite finishing the tournament in dominant fashion, India captain Suryakumar Yadav believed that the ride was not quite smooth. Notably, for team India, different players rose to the occasion at different stages, helping the side overcome difficult situations.
“I think we had a little bit of roller coaster ride since game one. No one gave us easy. We knew that it's going to be difficult as you play at home, the pressure is more in front of your home crowd. Playing in India, there was a lot of responsibility. And that too, if you have won one edition right one year before," Suryakumar Yadav said in a video released by the ICC.
“So it was a special feeling, yes. Everyone was excited for the tournament. But yeah, at the same time, it was a lot of pressure as well. I don't want to run away from the fact that there was no pressure. We had a lot of nerves. There were butterflies in the stomach even though we were playing any team in the tournament. But yeah, it was an exciting journey," he said.
During the tournament, India won eight out of the nine matches they played during the tournament, showing their dominance and resilience on home soil. Barring one defeat, which came against South Africa during the Super 8, India were highly skilful and agile in their game. Most importantly for India, dashing opener Sanju Samson was instrumental in the latter stages of the game, plundering powerful knocks against West Indies, England and New Zealand in the knockout, semi-final and final respectively.