Ahmedabad, March 9 After Rahul Dravid completed his tenure as the head coach of the Indian cricket team, Rohit Sharma, who was then the captain, had spoken about how Dravid was his "work partner".
When Suryakumar Yadav, the current head coach, talks about Gautam Gambhir, it seems that the relationship is built on mutual trust and respect, just like it was between Rohit and Dravid.
"I think I have played cricket with Gauti bhai for four years (in Kolkata Knight Riders) and I knew how he thinks. We would take two steps, and he would take two, and we would meet somewhere in the middle," Suryakumar said when asked about his relationship with Gambhir since the duo led the shortest format team to victory in the 2024 T20 World Cup under Dravid and Rohit.
Suryakumar said that in these two years, the duo never had any disagreements and didn't need to spend long hours figuring out the ideal playing eleven.
"Because we were always on the same page. From the Sri Lanka series, when we went to Sri Lanka, and even now, I don't remember any time we had a disagreement about a player," revealed Suryakumar.
"Whether we should play a particular player or not. We both were always focused on making the team win. How we can put a player in a position that benefits the team," said the captain, who led the team to a successful defense of the 2024 title with a 96-run win over New Zealand in the final.
According to Suryakumar, familiarity with one's working methods is essential for creating a long-term strategy.
"I knew from the beginning what our expectations would be from each other. Many times, we have discussed the team and the playing 11, who we need to choose, and we have always had the same 15 players in mind."
"So, if the success rate is this high, we don't need to discuss it so much. Our goal was to achieve something good together. That's why we were comfortable with any selection call," Suryakumar said.
"If you want to win the World Cup, it is very important for both to be on the same page," he summarized their professional relationship.
When someone is struggling, spend time with them
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Suryakumar's leadership is heavily inspired by Rohit, who earned respect by being a reliable figure for those facing challenges.
Suryakumar said that having a supportive presence for players like Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma is important, as both players recovered from difficult phases and performed well in crucial moments of the tournament.
"When someone is not doing well, you try and spend time with them, take them out for dinners, talk to them, because these are the players who will perform well for you at the right time, like Abhishek did just now, and Sanju did in the last three games," he said.
"Performing their roles, understanding their responsibilities, contributing at the right time, and talking to each player when someone is struggling. That is what matters to me. So, all these things are very important."
He once again emphasized the importance of "freedom of speech" in the dressing room.
"I think freedom of speech in the dressing room is very important. If you don't listen to everyone, you can't take everyone together and win a trophy," he said.
Can't cheat yourself in the mirror
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Suryakumar believes that one needs to understand that, like in any other sport, there will be more failures than successes, but the inherent honesty in effort will lead to success.
"I think it is important to understand that you will definitely fail more times than you succeed in sports. I have seen it last year in 2025. The whole year I couldn't get a 50. It took me 400 plus days to get a 50 for India. But that's what I told the boys, the same thing. Ups and downs will definitely keep coming in sports," he said.
"You have to understand that you need to respect the game. You have to try and spend time with all the good people around you. Be true to yourself. You can't cheat yourself when you get up in the morning or when you go to sleep."
Each player is different, and it is necessary to understand their individual traits in order to be a good leader, feels Suryakumar.
"So, everyone is different. They bring a different skill to the table. So, you need to speak to them, understand their temperaments, and understand them. That is actually very important, and that's what we did throughout the last one and a half years, two years."
"We wanted to understand how these people are, when do we push them, and when do we give them space. I think that's very important, and that's what we did," he said.
