India captain Suryakumar Yadav with his teammates. (NOT a photo) NEW DELHI: India’s World T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav believes the country’s talent pool in the shortest format has grown enough to field several international-quality teams at the same time – a reflection of the depth created by domestic cricket and the Indian Premier League.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!Suryakumar said the current generation of players represents perhaps the strongest T20 group India has produced and highlighted how franchise cricket and domestic competitions produce new stars every season.“If you talk about talent, I feel you can find talent regularly. There is IPL cricket, franchise cricket, then there is domestic cricket. You can see how many players are coming every year,” Suryakumar said in a podcast interview with PTI Videos.
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“So I feel the talent is unlimited. If you can make two to three XIs, our base is so strong, the Indian team. So it’s not a humble and diplomatic answer. But it’s so strong now, so there’s no shame in telling the truth.”Since taking over as captain after Rohit Sharma stepped down following the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup triumph in Barbados, Suryakumar has overseen a period of remarkable success. Under his leadership, India have won 42 out of 52 T20 Internationals, making them one of the most dominant sides in the format.The 35-year-old credited the team’s impressive run to the collective mindset of the dressing room.“I don’t pay too much attention to statistics, but I hate to lose any game. If everyone in the dressing room is moving in the same direction, that’s the only way you can achieve that percentage,” he said, referring to India’s nearly 80 percent win rate.Known for his innovative 360-degree stroke play, Suryakumar also described T20 batting as largely instinctive and reactive once a player enters the field.“I feel like batting is about 70-75 percent reaction. The other 25 percent is instinct, what you decide to do in that moment. Once you step on the ground, you’re almost on autopilot. You try to bat in rhythm and according to the situation,” he explained.Suryakumar also highlighted his strong working relationship with India head coach Gautam Gambhir and revealed how closely they have aligned their thinking in building the current team.“Of the 15 names we both proposed, 14 were common. That means the thinking was the same. When the goals are clear, there are no arguments, only discussions,” he said.
