Here is the full transcript of the pre-match press conference of India captain Suryakumar Yadav ahead of the T20 World Cup final against New Zealand in Ahmedabad.
(Reporter:)
It doesn’t get bigger than this. One step away from lifting the trophy. We have seen you have conversations with Rohit Sharma as well in the semifinal. I just want to ask you, the captain, the leader of the team, what are you feeling right now? Are there any nerves? And Mitchell Santner was obviously here earlier, and he said that the goal is to silence the crowd. So how do you respond to that?
(Surya Kumar Yadav:)
Everyone is coming and saying the same line – tell them to say something new now. But yeah, the mood in the camp is very relaxed, very happy obviously. It’s a special feeling leading such a wonderful side at home soil, that too at such a wonderful stadium. It’s a special feeling and everyone is very excited for it.
(Reporter:)
I wanted to ask you about Varun Chakravarthy’s form before going into the final – What is worrying you? Can we see any change in the 11th?
(Surya Kumar Yadav:)
There is nothing to worry about. We have won the match. It’s a team sport. Everyone gives their best. It’s a collective effort, only then you win. Once we win the match, we don’t think much about anyone. But the team keeps moving up and down. There are 11 players. Everyone’s day won’t be good. Everyone can go up and down. The rest are there to cover. I am not worried about that. He is the world’s number one bowler. He is a world-class bowler and knows how to win matches. He will definitely do that.
You can see the changes tomorrow. You want to know everything today only.
(Reporter:)
If we look at it from the batting point of view, we have had good games since the Chennai game. Coming into this final, if you see, we have lost 15 wickets against off-spin in this tournament and the strike rate is hovering around 120 odd. So New Zealand has potentially 4 off-spin options, 2 right-armor and 2 left-armor. So how much does this factor in your conversation when you are planning for the game? How much does this factor get discussed?
(Surya Kumar Yadav:)
We haven’t discussed it at all. If we are playing the finals with a strike rate of 120, then I will prefer to play with a strike rate of 120. There is no problem to the team. We do have conversations sometimes, but we don’t pay attention to it. On a given day, if a batter does well against a bowler, at that time it is important to go into the field and bat and meet the team’s requirements. We are doing that. In the last game, you saw that two lefties went in. An off-spinner was playing, but Ishan batted well against him, even Dube also and also Tilak Verma. So, there are not that many conversations. That too at this stage, I don’t think we should think so much. Now, if two spinners come in the final tomorrow – we will have to play them – we can’t leave it and come back. So, we will handle it tomorrow.
(Reporter:)
The captain of New Zealand was saying that he will try to restrict you to 250 runs less because the team is capable of making 250.
(Surya Kumar Yadav:)
He is lying.
(Reporter:)
So what do you think, youll made 250 runs in the last match, What is the kind of score you are looking forward to on this deck?
(Surya Kumar Yadav:)
See, we will try to bat well. If we can score 200, 225, 250 runs, that’s good. That’s good for our team. But we don’t come to the room thinking that we have to make so many runs because sometimes if the wicket is demanding something else, then we have to play in a different way. So, we will play in the way that is actually demanded and we will defend the total that we get, what else can we do?
(Reporter:)
Surya, you have already played two finals, two very high pressure matches, you have experienced defeat and also the joys of winning. So how different is this final that you are the leader, number one, and also the fact that when you look at your career, the last six years, when you made your debut, how far you’ve come? What do you feel if you sit back about the leader, Surya Kumar Yadav, and how far he has come from the time he made his debut in the last five years?
(Surya Kumar Yadav:)
I mean, it’s obviously a special feeling that I’m going to lead tomorrow, and as I said, leading such a wonderful side into a final. That too at home soil. It is always a special feeling. Very excited. Of course there are nerves. There will be butterflies in the stomach but as I always say, where there is no pressure, no fun. I am also very excited and all the boys and support staff, everyone. I am sure the whole of India is excited for tomorrow. We just want to keep everything very simple, not too complicate. We have been trying to do a lot of good things, trying to continue the same things. I think six years, has been a very long journey for me. As I said, again, leading India, that too in such a big event, big occasion. I am very happy. Very happy for my family also and everyone. So, yeah, very excited.
(Reporter:)
You don’t seem to come across as a pep talk kind of a captain. I think it’s safe to say that. But every World Cup campaign and every really, really good World Cup campaign has something that the dressing room does. Maybe a routine, maybe something, something that kind of sets that campaign apart. Is there something like that that you can talk about and how does it help when you have characters like Axar, like Ishan, who gently lower the temperatures as is of the dressing room, how advantageous is that?
(Surya Kumar Yadav:)
I think the mantra has been very clear in this tournament, has to be in present as much as possible. I know it is very difficult. It’s a human tendency. You get excited when you, like for example, when you play a league stage, you qualify for Super Fours. You’re already thinking about, oh yes, we’ll play a semifinal. We’ll get to play a final at the Narendra Modi Stadium. But then at the same time, it’s really important to have a few characters, a few little serious characters in the side who tell all the boys that it’s important to be in present, be relaxed because when you try and jump guns, you miss your steps and you might fall down as well, like how it happened with us in the first game of Super 8. But then it happens. We picked everything at the right time, we tightened our screws at the right time and then since then we never looked back. Still we want to keep it very simple. As we were at Wankhede, we wanted to be very relaxed, be in present, not think about what will happen in the final. Even now, as we have come today, we want to keep it very relaxed, have a good practice session when we go back. It’s very difficult to not think about what will happen after the game tomorrow, but then at the same time, yes, it is in our hands. It is little controllable factor which we can actually have it on your side. But then obviously, characters like Ishan, Axar and many more, I mean, not only him, even Shivam Dube, there are a lot of people. Arshdeep, it’s very important to have such characters around because when the situation is tight, you need someone to have a little bit of joke around in the bus, in the dressing room to calm the dressing room vibe and that we carry it on the ground also sometimes, there’s a lot of fun we do on the ground. Not talk about cricket in tense situations, I think because they know what to do. Like players like Axar, Arshdeep, Bumrah, all these people, they know what to do. As a batter, I can’t tell them what to bowl, what to not. They have been in such pressure situations before, so they know what to do. I just go and ask them normally, what food you want to eat tonight? What do we do tomorrow? So all these things are really important when you’re playing a game also. Yes, we have very less time, 75 – 80 minutes to complete our quota. But all these things do matter on the ground as well.
(Reporter:)
You always said that every game comes with a certain amount of pressure. In big games, the pressure is always very high. But this team has won a lot, the defending champions, won the Asia Cup and won the Champions Trophy. So obviously has won all the pressure movements. So as a captain and as a team, how does how do you guys handle the pressure? Can you just give us a sneak peek into this mental strength of this side?
(Surya Kumar Yadav:)
See, I think handling pressure is all about how calm you are in tight situations. For example, I think, I know it’s not that easy, but then when you are in your practice sessions, when you are training, at that time if you put a lot of pressure on yourself, taking those difficult catches, batting in the different situations, thinking about that, like mentally being ready in practice sessions. When you go in the game, you know you have done all these things before in practice. So All these things are really important. And obviously talking to each other, this feels like a proper family, so you can turn up to any player, any support staff, because even the support staff have been in similar situations before when they have played this game of cricket. So talking to each other I think helps a lot to be very calm, to be very composed and that’s how one takes a positive call because two people or one guy who is bowling, they are the best judge what needs to be done when they are on the ground, when they are batting or bowling. So that time I think always a positive call is always a better option to be taken and that’s what we’ve been following.
(Reporter:)
Whether you’re a batsman or a bowler, the experience is always useful, but this experience of playing a final match, whether it is of the ICC or of a big stage like the IPL? We have that – what use can that be?
(Surya Kumar Yadav:)
The benefit is huge because there are many players in this team who have played a lot of ICC events – right from our coach. So his experience is also important. And there are a lot of players like Bumrah, Hardik, Axar, there are a lot of players who have played in ICC events in pressure situations. So I feel it will be very helpful to have a conversation with them. When we sit in the bus or at dinner, we talk about what to do in a particular situation. And we find a solution. So, I think the conversation at the dinner table or the conversation in the bus is very important. And I think experience matters a lot going into such a lovely occasion. I think it will matter the most.
(Reporter:)
Dew has been a big factor in the World Cup. So such a big match, such a big final, and should it happen, should it be influenced by dew, it would not be proper. So do you think such a big match should be played at 3 o’clock instead of at 7 o’clock? So dew is out of equation.
(Surya Kumar Yadav:)
When I go to the ICC as an opposition, then I will tell you whether we should play at 3 or 6. But then, yeah, sometimes it does play a big factor, but at the same time, you have to act on it. If there is a difficult situation, you can’t be doing anything else. But if you have an option, obviously, if you are defending or you are batting, obviously batting has an advantage where there’s dew but during bowling there’s no other option. You’ve been playing a lot of games franchise cricket international games in heavy dew. So you practiced a lot So you have to do it for India.
(Reporter:)
Sanju Samson said in the last match that you and Gautam Gambhir back the players, no matter how difficult the race is. But at the same time, you also showed that when it comes to dropping or resting a player, team management has been unsentimental. For example in the case of Sanju or Axar. Who does this conversation? As a captain, you do it, the coach does it. And secondly, in the last 10 days, what has changed in Sanju’s play? Did you talk about anything special?
(Surya Kumar Yadav:)
I think we both take the tough conversations and calls together. Because it’s not any one person’s call. We have to see how the team can benefit by adding a player. And sometimes, for example, if we feel that someone’s matchup is good against this team so according to that we told Axar that if someone’s matchup is better than off-spinner then we will make him play off-spin in that game – so it was a clear conversation. Although he was not happy – but he should not be happy, it’s true but sometimes people understand for the team because he is an experienced player. And according to me, it was important to bring Sanju’s inclusion because we saw that the combinations we were playing in the last bilateral series, like Abhishek, Sanju and Ishan were batting in the top 3. So we benefitted a lot from that . So as soon as we brought him, the game changed completely. He started batting differently. So I think that was a positive call for him. And I saw him working so hard. When someone doesn’t play, what he does is more important. He was doing everything he could for the team when he was not playing. I think the last 3-4 innings he has batted for the team, it is a result of all the hard work he has put in.
(Reporter:)
You have played many ICC finals, IPL finals under Rohit’s captaincy. But this time, the pressure of playing the finals is not just on you as a batter, you are also the leader captain. So, does it give you an added pressure that you have to become a big brother in the dressing room for the youngsters who will have their first outing in such a high profile final. So what were your learnings when you were young and inexperienced in the team how would you like to take that and is there any special message or observation that you have kept in your old finals that you will give to the youngsters.
(Surya Kumar Yadav:)
No, these guys don’t let me talk much in the dressing room – at all. These guys dictate their terms. So I have seen that when they get the freedom, they become a different character on the ground. I was noticing that when I started leading this team since 5-6 months. After that I understood that nothing will happen by being a big brother or a father. They have to be left alone. Nothing will happen by holding on to their ears. They have to be left free, only then they can give their best. And that’s what I have been seeing. Every player has different skills and strengths. It’s not that I haven’t told them anything, I have spoken to players, but whoever feels that they have been left free – that percentage has been increasing since the beginning. I have not told anyone anything, I just told them that you play the same way that you are playing. State, franchise cricket, international cricket, ok, India’s logo is there, the emotion is different. But at the same time, what has been successful for you, just keep following that. So, we are playing like that. And yes, obviously as a leader, definitely there will be pressure on me. I am not saying that there will be no pressure, and I will not be nervous, because if I am not under pressure and if I will not be nervous, then how will I get the best out of myself and obviously the team. So definitely there will be an added pressure, but at the same time there is a lot of excitement because you don’t get a chance like this to play in a World Cup final, and that too in India. That is a special feeling.
(Reporter:)
Like you said in response to the first question that you get assurance from Rohit that you are doing well (inaudible) who are playing the finals for the first time – so you must be having discussions with them but before the finals, is there any specific thing that you would discuss with them?
(Surya Kumar Yadav:)
If they can, they would wear the same pad and come. No, the mantra is that the people who have won the World Cups, have won the World Cups for India, their mantra has always been that this is a sport in which you have to take everyone’s contribution. You won’t win a tournament because of one or two players. As you can see, if you look at it from the start, or when we played the Zimbabwe game, every player contributed. After that, we played the next game, same against West Indies, and even in the semifinal also, every player contributed. So they always focus on this. If there is a batting department in team sport, then all batsmen’s contribution is necessary. And the main thing is that they have removed that personal milestone thing from the team. No one will focus much on personal milestone. It’s a team game. If someone goes to play – for example in the last game, Tilak scored 21 runs in 7 balls. If someone plays a knock like this or if someone scored 8 runs in 5 balls. That is almost similar to what someone gets a 50 or someone gets a 100. That is as important. Like in the last game, we won with 7 runs. So you never know, someone scored 7 or 10 runs in 3-4 balls might have made that impact. So, they focus on all these things. I mean, nothing is more important for them than team goal. So, what is important for the team – if someone wants to score a six on his first ball, then he should. And if he wants to play some other game, then he should. So, that’s the theory in this team. I think that’s what spreads positivity and creates a better environment in this team. Because If you start thinking about the team, rather than yourself, then your goal becomes the same. If so many people come on the same page, then you know.
(Reporter:)
Surya, you have watched New Zealand’s tournament run from the outside. Do they look a different side to the one that you faced during the bilateral series?
(Surya Kumar Yadav:)
I haven’t seen their matches. I don’t watch cricket matches on TV. But we played them recently before the World Cup. I think the team is similar. They must have changed a little. The last game was 95% the same team. But they’ve been playing good cricket. They played here and then went to Sri Lanka to play. They’ve been playing good cricket. We are also playing well, and I’m sure it will be a good game tomorrow.
(Reporter:)
This final of 2023 –
(Surya Kumar Yadav:)
That’s over sir, it’s been 3 years, sir. Now T20 is here.
(Reporter:)
And your South Africa match, both those matches were played on black soil. And we had lost that match. Tomorrow, do what kind of wicket you are going to get? Red, black or mixed soil? And what would you prefer?
(Surya Kumar Yadav:)
If I get free from here, I’ll definitely go and look into it. Because I came here directly from the dressing room. People were standing there. But we’ll definitely see on which soil we are playing tomorrow.
(Reporter:)
What would you prefer?
(Surya Kumar Yadav:)
Prefer? Any soil, sir. We have to play the World Cup final. Any soil is fine. We are playing on both the soils in the tournament, black and red. I think we’ve been doing good. So anything is okay.
(Reporter:)
The current T20I cycle, the two-year T20I cycle will come to an end tomorrow and irrespective of the result, irrespective of the outcome tomorrow as a captain, you have done a fabulous job over the last two years. How difficult was it to step into Rohitt’s shoes first and as the journey, as you went through the journey, what was your captaincy philosophy?
(Surya Kumar Yadav:)
Sir, the shoes are mine, but the footsteps were his only. No – but it was not difficult. The way, where he left, I got to learn a lot of things from him when I was playing under him. So I also followed the same strategy, same funda, going into the dressing room with the experience of Gautam. Obviously, his experience was also very vital. And where he left in 2024, I played a lot of cricket with him. I know how he worked. I tried to implement the same things with a few thoughts of mine as well. It has worked really well. Hopefully it is going really well. It goes really well tomorrow also and for many more years to come.
(Reporter:)
It’s a different format to 2023, as you said, but we are at the same ground, another final. Do you need to say anything to the team? Will you have any conversations to make sure you don’t make the mistakes you made that day against Australia?
(Surya Kumar Yadav:)
Not really. I mean, we’ve been preparing for this stage really well. It started two years back and its journey and the circle has come to the same stadium again where we left in 2023. Hopefully play some good cricket, be courageous in tough situations. That’s a simple message to the team.
(Reporter:)
In the last five years, you played, I mean it’s the third final you’re playing against New Zealand. Unusual rivalry in a way. How do you feel about that? And also, what are you expecting tactically from New Zealand having probably watched and studied their tournament so far?
(Surya Kumar Yadav:)
I feel, I mean, everyone obviously is very, very excited to play the final tomorrow. They have been very tactical as you rightly said, and they come with a good plan. But we also have our plans, we have been preparing for such a big stage. We will be completely focused on what we want to do rather than what others think about our team and just play good cricket. That’s it.
(Reporter:)
When you took over the captaincy, you would have had some idea about what kind of culture you wanted to bring to the team. What is that and do you feel like you have achieved that?
(Surya Kumar Yadav:)
I feel a good team culture, a good atmosphere in the team is very important. I think it is very important to have a happy team atmosphere. I think that is the key. If you want to see players happy on the ground, what you do off the field is really important. Give them freedom, have the freedom of speech in the dressing room, listen to their ideas as well, what they feel and I think it is very important to understand what everyone wants in the team. I feel captain is or a leader is just a position, other than that you have to go down to all the players and understand what they want, how they want this side to run and then come on the same page together and then run the car together.
(Reporter:)
In the T20 World Cup, the host team has not yet won a World Cup, and you have a chance to do that – best of luck for that. And second thing is that if you take the decision of batting after winning the toss, then 200 plus it’s fine. So how will it be in bowling and batting?
(Surya Kumar Yadav:)
I haven’t seen the wicket yet, how will it be. It looks like a fresh wicket, that’s what I have heard. But we are actually equipped for both. We have also chased the West Indies and batted at Wankhede. So if anything happens, we have no problem. Because you see, you have to make one run more than what they make, or if stop them one run short of what we have made – so we have no option. Whatever happens, we are comfortable to do.
(Reporter:)
When we met at the start of the tournament, we had spoken about the city of Mumbai and you said the spirit of Mumbai is “it will happen.” So is that something that you’re going to say to your fans and to the dressing room, that tomorrow “It will happen”?
(Surya Kumar Yadav:)
We will try our best, if we play well, then it will happen.
