Ahmedabad, March 7 It took Suryakumar Yadav roughly six months into his India captaincy to realize that trying to be a "father figure" or "elder brother" to younger team members wouldn't work.
The Mumbai-based cricketer realized that the only thing that would work is allowing a free flow of ideas, freedom of expression, and letting each player develop in their own way.
With the support of coach Gautam Gambhir, who believes that 7-ball-21s should be celebrated as much as a century, Surya decided that while he would "follow in Rohit Sharma's footsteps", the "success would be his own".
Asked about the atmosphere in the dressing room and the kind of advice he gives to the youngsters, Surya replied: "They don't let me talk much in the dressing room. They dictate their own terms. So, I have seen that when they get freedom, they become a different character on the field."
"I started to relate to this team after 5-6 months (of captaincy). After that, I understood that there is no point in being a big brother or a father. You have to let them go."
"There is no point in holding them back. You have to let them open. Only then can you get the best out of them," Surya succinctly outlined his leadership philosophy.
He understood that the team is like a bouquet where every beautiful flower has its own place of pride.
"Every player has different skills and strengths. It's not that I haven't spoken to anyone. I have spoken to the players. But those who feel that I have left them, that percentage has increased from the start till now. So, I haven't said much to anyone," he said in jest.
While March 8 will be the biggest day in Surya's career, the best part of him was that he didn't lose his sense of humor.
When asked if he found his predecessor Rohit Sharma's shoes too big to fill, he cheekily replied:
"Sir, shoes are mine, I only follow his footsteps."
On a serious note, he spoke about the lessons he learned from Rohit's leadership.
"The way he led, I learned a lot from him when I was playing under him. So, I also followed the same strategy, same fundamentals.
"I played a lot of cricket with Rohit. I know how he worked. So, I tried to implement the same things with a few of my own thoughts as well. And it's worked really well," he said.
Surya knows that there will be butterflies in his stomach, but focusing on the controllable factors will be paramount on the big day.
"Yes, obviously, as a leader, there will definitely be pressure on me. I am not saying that there will be no pressure. But at the same time, there is a lot of excitement because you don't always get a chance to play in the World Cup final. And that too in India."
The final on Sunday for Surya is a culmination of a journey that started two years ago.
"We’ve been preparing for this stage really well. We started two years back and the circle has come full circle, back to the same stadium where we left in 2023.
"Hopefully, we play some good cricket, be courageous in tough situations," he concluded.
