Indian T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav, reflecting on India’s journey to the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, revealed the team's ambition to win the T20I World Cup title at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The determination Suryakumar refers to goes back to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 Final, held at Narendra Modi Stadium. On that night, India, dominant throughout the tournament, were beaten by Australia in the final.
However, India brushed aside the past heartbreak and clinched the 2026 T20 World Cup title, beating New Zealand in the final. India entered the 2026 tournament as defending champions, having lifted the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA and the Caribbean. That victorious squad in 2024, led by Rohit Sharma, featured stars like Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja. But following India's title win, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja retired from T20Is, marking the end of an era. Following Rohit Sharma's departure, Yadav was handed leadership responsibilities, and he has lived up to the promise.
"There were just minor differences between the two teams. That was an experienced team, and very committed. This team is passionate. This year, I can say that we had less experience but more enthusiasm. All the guys are 25 to 27 years old [actually ten of the 15 players in the side that won the tournament were over 27, and nine over 30]. It was necessary to explain to them how it feels to win a World Cup in India, when people will cheer so much for you, 50,000 people, a lakh people, in the stadium,” said Suryakumar as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
Under Suryakumar's leadership, India have done brilliantly, having 42 wins in 52 T20Is, producing an extraordinary 80.76% success rate.
"I feel that the percentage I tried to achieve in school and college by studying, I'm getting that today in cricket here. There, I could never cross [50-60%]. But definitely, it feels good to hear this. Although, I don't pay much attention to stats. But nobody likes to lose in any game. I also love winning all the games,” Suryakumar said.
"My family tried a lot to educate me first, [but] in a short time they got the idea that this boy is not interested in studies. This boy can't be controlled. But their support was always there in sports because they could see that I was enjoying it, I liked playing. So they said, 'okay, go play; if nothing happens later, then we are here to take care of it'," he said.