Suryakumar Yadav (ANI Photo) Suryakumar Yadav, who recently led the Indian national cricket team to a historic triumph in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, admitted that while he dreams of playing Test cricket, the shortest format remains where he feels most comfortable.In an interview with PTI, the Indian captain reflected on his journey across formats, his love for red-ball cricket and why T20 cricket eventually became his natural space.
He still dreams of playing Test cricket
“…what is written in your life only you will understand. I started with red ball cricket itself, I played Ranji Trophy for 10-12 years. I played a lot of red ball cricket in Mumbai because if you grow up in Mumbai you start with the red ball itself so everything is around the red ball,” he said.
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“But gradually, when we started playing white-ball cricket, the inclination shifted towards that a little bit. And then I came to this format (T20). I tried hard in One-Day cricket as well to play well in it, but nothing was happening there,” he said.“The way T20 worked for me, I was good at it, you could say,” he said.
ODI cricket never worked for him
While Suryakumar thrived in T20 cricket, he admitted that the 50-over format never quite suited his game.“I feel that even though I’ve experienced ODI cricket up close and seen it, it’s a format where you have to bat in three different ways. Sometimes when you go early, when wickets are falling quickly, you have to bat like Test cricket.“Then you have to bat with good strike rate like One Day and later at the end of the innings you have to bat like (you do) in T20 format. So that’s one format I never understood. I tried my best to play it. But then it’s a tough format,” he said.Suryakumar last featured in an ODI during the 2023 Cricket World Cup final against Australia where he scored 18 runs off 28 balls. India lost the final and he has not played an ODI since.
ODI cricket still has its charm
Recalling the incredible atmosphere during the 2023 ODI World Cup, the Indian captain said the tournament showed that the format still has a unique appeal.Suryakumar also recalled the emotions the format was able to evoke during the 2023 World Cup.“…when I was with the team in the 2023 ODI World Cup and I played, then the atmosphere, the whole atmosphere of that format, going to the final. That was completely different to what we played in 2026 and 2024 in the T20 World Cup.”“So the magic is different, ODI cricket also has a different magic, T20 has a different one,” he explained.
