Suryakumar Yadav has made my life a lot easier in T20Is: Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir praises Suryakumar Yadav for simplifying his T20I coaching role, highlighting SKY's maturity, consistency, and leadership that reduces pressure during T20 World Cup 2026 campaign.

09 Feb 2026 15:08 IST

New Update

Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir has lauded the Indian T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav, who made his life a lot easier in the shortest format of the game. Notably, India entered the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 campaign as the defending champions.

Speaking exclusively to JioStar, Gambhir asserted that Suryakumar is a phenomenal leader, adding that he spends a lot of time talking to players in the dressing room and team hotel. Moreover, he added that Surya always keeps the atmosphere in and around him very calm.

"He has made my life a lot easier in this format. I think he is a phenomenal leader of men. Not by what he does on the field, not by the type of batter he is or the shots he has, all that you can keep it aside. But the way he relates to players, talks to players, spends time with players, how much he is relaxed on the field. Sometimes as a coach, you know that you can think of other things because he is going to keep the atmosphere calm, what any coach can dream of," he said on JioStar.

"For me, I think Surya the player I can keep him aside, but Surya the leader has ticked every box, which has made my life a lot easier. It is a great thing when you have someone like him leading, because his heart is in the right place and he takes the right decisions, especially when things are under pressure,” he added.

Delving into the details of the match between India and the USA, the Indian team, after being tasked to bat first, posted 161/9 in 20 overs on February 8. Captain Suryakumar was impressive with an unbeaten knock of 84 off 49 deliveries.

For the USA, Shadley van Schalkwyk (4/29) and Harmeet Singh (2/26) were among the wicket-takers. In response, the USA were restricted to 132/8 as they lost the match by 29 runs. For India, Mohammed Siraj (3/29), Axar Patel (2/24), and Arshdeep Singh (2/18) were among the wickets.

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