India’s Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma lift the T20 World Cup trophy. (Getty Images) NEW DELHI: India captain Suryakumar Yadav offered a fascinating insight into what distinguished the country’s World T20-winning teams, describing the 2024 side as fueled by “experienced enthusiasm” and the 2026 squad as fueled by the “fiery passion of youth”.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!Suryakumar explained that while both teams were equally skilled, the difference lay in their mindset. “There was only ‘unnis bees ka farak’. Woh experience wala josh tha, idhar ekdum khoon garam tha ladkon ka,” he told PTI in an interview, stressing how the earlier team relied on experience while the latest batch thrived on youthful intensity.The 2024 triumph, achieved under Rohit Sharma, featured stalwarts like Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja, whose experience helped India end a long ICC title drought. In contrast, the 2026 squad saw a younger core bolstered by the departure of the senior trio from the format.
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2024 vs 2026 – Experience vs Youth“In 2024, we had a lot of experience and clearly defined roles. Now there are good players too, but this team had huge experience,” Suryakumar noted, downplaying any direct comparison in terms of superiority between the two sides.Leading a relatively young group in 2026 also meant managing expectations, especially when the tournament was held at home. Suryakumar revealed that he had to mentally prepare his players for the magnitude of the occasion. “All the boys are 25 to 27 years old. It was important to tell them what it’s like to win the World Cup in India with 50,000 or even a thousand people cheering,” he said.Despite the relative inexperience, the captain felt the team’s hunger made the difference. “In terms of skill, there is little difference in T20 cricket, but this time there was more enthusiasm,” he added.Reflecting on his own journey from key player in 2024 to captain in 2026, Suryakumar admitted emotions were high. “The goal was the same but the emotions in 2026 were bigger because we were playing in India. Winning in Ahmedabad made it even more special,” he said.
