Suryakumar Yadav on Gautam Gambhir: The dressing room is the same… like a train coach, some compartments have been changed, why did Suryakumar Yadav say this?

New Delhi. Indian T20 team captain Suryakumar Yadav says that the secret of the team’s success in the shortest format is to adopt the same mentality in all competitions. As co-host of the T20 World Cup, when India will enter the ICC tournament with the ‘tag’ of a contender, this thinking will be its biggest strength. He also gave an update on the fitness of all-rounder Washington Sundar and said that there will be no haste in his return. Defending champion India will face America in the first match of the tournament at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday.

India will be eyeing to win its record third title. When asked about India’s mindset in the captains’ press conference, Suryakumar said, ‘We have been playing good cricket for the last two-three years, but I think we have changed our mindset. Earlier we used to play bilateral series and ICC tournaments differently, but now whether it is ICC tournament, Asia Cup or bilateral matches, we try to play the same way everywhere.

After winning the 2024 T20 World Cup, India has won all the bilateral T20 series and also won the Asia Cup title last year. Suryakumar said, ‘This is why when we went to play the 2024 T20 World Cup, it did not feel different. In fact, it felt as if we had been playing this kind of cricket for a whole year. Even now, we will try to play the same kind of cricket in the T20 World Cup that we have been playing for the last one year. If we play well, the result will also be in our favor.

The Indian captain said that the team wants to give enough time to Washington Sundar to be fully fit and make a strong comeback. He said, ‘Tilak Verma got a break. He could not play the New Zealand series and when he came back, he looked a completely different player. He played one match of the A series (the warm-up match between India A and USA) and also played yesterday (the warm-up match against South Africa on Wednesday). We hope that Washington will also make a similar comeback. He is doing quite well. He is almost ready. We want him to be completely fit when he returns. Hundred percent.

Suryakumar also said that India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir has firmly established the mindset of putting the team first among the players. He gave the example of Ishan Kishan who completed his first T20 century with a six against New Zealand last week. He said, ‘The dressing room is the same, just a few coaches (like train coaches) have been changed, but since his arrival it has been a wonderful journey. The most important thing is the atmosphere he has created in the dressing room that it is a team game. He has inculcated the idea that individual achievements should be kept aside and the goals of the team should come first. For example, in the last match in Thiruvananthapuram, Ishan was beyond 90 and he completed his century with a six. This is what Gambhir is trying to bring in the dressing room, to stay away from personal achievements and focus on the team goal.