There was a rare sight of the slightly conservative Suryakumar Yadav at the pre-match press conference, usually bullish, witty and funny, ahead of India’s first Super 8 match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup T20. Suryakumar admitted in a press interview that the pressure was on the Indian team and that he tried to keep his mind away from the present and instead chose to stay in the present.
However, keeping your mind off the pressure is easier said than done.
Someone in the room recited the law of averages. India have won 12 matches in a row in the T20 World Cup. The proposal hung in the air—surely, one bad day must be around the corner.
“When you think about it, it’s not easy, it’s difficult. Because sometimes when you play good cricket, like you said, the law of averages, you can hear the voice. But that’s OK, we try to avoid that thing a little bit.” said Suryakumar.
There was honesty in that answer. Not the sincerity of someone who fears collapse. But someone who understands the cruelty of the sport. That even if you prepare well, even if you are better, the game can tilt on a break, an edge, a gust of wind. He knows that one imperfect moment can undo a dozen great ones.
And yet, beneath this awareness lies faith. India are on a 12-match winning streak in the T20 World Cup. (Image: Reuters)
India believe they are good enough to win every single match in this tournament. They believe they can lift the World Cup again. They know that no team has defended the World T20 title before.
And therein lies the tension.
The captain revealed that every player has a way of dealing with pressure. For him, it’s all about keeping things simple. Stay in the present. He’s focused on a group he says he’s proud of.
“The more we stay present, the more we pay attention to our group, the more we focus on our strengths, the better it works,” Yadav said.
For years, Indian cricketers have been trained to project confidence. For the avoidance of doubt. Standing at a press conference and speaking absolutely. There is an unwritten code – vulnerability is weakness, and weakness is unacceptable when you represent a billion people.
Saturday looked a little different.
Suryakumar did not refuse the pressure. He didn’t pretend he didn’t exist. He acknowledged it, albeit briefly. He left room for the idea that this team feels the weight of expectation.
It may seem like a small thing. it isn’t.
In a country where athletes are often expected to be unshakable, where emotional armor is worn as part of the jersey, moments like these matter. When captains admit doubt without giving up on ambition, something shifts. He tells younger players that fear and faith can coexist. This trust does not require denial.
In truth, one almost expected him to reply, “Pressure? What pressure?” That would be the easier line. The safer one.
Instead, he chose nuance.
In doing so, he showed that power is not always loud. Sometimes it’s just the ability to say, yes, we feel it—and still believe we’re good enough.
If more athletes could occupy this space, perhaps the ecosystem surrounding the sport would also soften. Perhaps young cricketers would grow up to understand that excellence and vulnerability are not opposites.
And maybe both India starts there. He erased the line between the India that performs and the India that feels.
TWO INDIAS: OUT OF MOTOR
There are two worlds in Ahmedabad outside the Narendra Modi Stadium. One who knows, follows and is excited about the T20 World Cup. And another one that just comes into its own.
My autorickshaw driver didn’t know what match was scheduled for Sunday or what teams were playing. However, he knew which roads would be closed three hours before the game.
“If you go this way, you’ll have to walk 2 km to the stadium. But I know a side line that will make you walk a little less,” he told me.
That was a reality in a way. One India plans its weekend around Super 8. Another plans its commute around roadblocks.
A quick chat with a few locals revealed that the buzz around this tournament is not quite what it was during the ODI World Cup 2023. This tournament had Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja – names that attracted people and fans were willing to spend for.
This time some said they felt a little tired. “Wasn’t it last year that Rohit won the T20 World Cup?” asked a local Jatin. It had to be fixed, that moment came in June 2024, almost 2 years ago.
“But there is too much T20 cricket. The World Cup should be held once in four years,” he argued.
Perhaps this too contributes to greater duality. One India is saturated with cricket. Another is still waiting to feel precious. Is cricket in India reaching its saturation point? Image: Reuters
Do the players feel it? Or is the bubble isolating them from it?
Of course, this observation may not apply to the 100,000 people who will enter the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday. Once the ring of fire is lit and the teams leave, the theater takes over again.
THE TWO INDIAS: IN PRACTICE
Sanju Samson breaks a sweat at the Narendra Modi Stadium (PTI Photo)
If the press conference felt like a tale of two Indias, so does the city. And training was no different.
After giving Sanju Samson an extended blow on Friday, Suryakumar effectively stopped talking about his inclusion on Saturday.
Asked if the lengthy networking session indicated a change, Surya replied with a smile, “Are you saying I should play him instead of Abhishek? Do you think I should play him instead of Tilak?”
She is firm in her support of Abhishek. But there is also the inevitable question – what exactly did Samson do wrong? Sanju Samson’s exclusion is a story in itself. (Image: PTI)
In imperious form recently, even through the Asia Cup, it was management that disrupted his rhythm. And now, despite the opener struggling for runs, India are unwilling to open that door again.
Again, two impulses sit side by side. One that rewards form instantly. Another one that protects continuity.
This is reality, hours before the game. Actually there are two Indias. One that must project confidence. And another who knows where the doubts lie and quietly works around them.
Suryakumar Yadav’s press conference offered an insight into how players and management think and decide to present themselves after the cameras are on. And this duality can be their strength.
India, unlike England, is not strict about who it is. Yes, they would like to score 270 and 280. But they understand the terms. They understand form. They know when to pull back. They know when to hold back.
This has not been the case in England in recent years. They are bullish about their identity and the style of play they want to have. And that was disastrous for them. They failed to qualify for the 2023 World Cup knockouts, failed to reach the semi-finals of the 2024 T20 World Cup and were also terrible in the Test format.
And that could well be India if they continue their ultra-aggressive batting approach on the tricky pitches of the T20 World Cup 2026.
But when their No. 1 fell out of rhythm, Suryakumar acknowledged that it was okay to change the template. And on Saturday, that support mattered publicly.
“He covered us last year. Now it’s time for us to cover him,” Suryakumar said.
Sunday’s match against South Africa could be India’s toughest in the tournament. Both teams know each other well. The edges will be slimmer. The bowlers will have a say in the wicket of the black soil in Ahmedabad.
And this is where Suryakumar may need both of his Indias—the one that is bullish and ambitious, and the one that is thoughtful and aware of its own vulnerability.
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– The end
Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
February 22, 2026
