Mumbai, March 10 Two days after captaining India to a T20 World Cup title, Suryakumar Yadav is slowly coming to terms with the enormity of the achievement that has placed him in the august company of Kapil Dev, M S Dhoni, and Rohit Sharma, who also helped the team win ICC trophies.
Shortly after returning from Ahmedabad, where India won a record third T20 World Cup title on Sunday, Suryakumar reflected on the team's successful campaign and the road ahead.
"It feels good to win back-to-back in 2024 and 2026. It is a very special feeling. When we won in 2024, we thought it would be so special to do it again at home in 2026," Surya told
"The next target is to win the Olympic gold in 2028. The team has good momentum. If India wins the T20 World Cup in the same year, it will be great."
When asked about being compared to Rohit and Dhoni, he added: "It feels good to join that elite company. I am slowly feeling it. It is a very special feeling to be talked about among such great people. I will try to do the same in the future and help India win more trophies."
Rohit was the captain when India ended an ICC trophy drought with the win in Barbados back in June 2024. Dhoni led India to victories in the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 ODI World Cup.
Kapil Dev's team won the 1983 ODI World Cup, the first major title for the country.
Speaking to reporters outside his residence, Suryakumar revealed that he had spoken to Dhoni ahead of the ICC event.
"I had met him (M S Dhoni) before the tournament and he told me how to approach an ICC tournament. He told me that we have a good team, we just have to be courageous and we will definitely win. His reaction after the win was amazing," said the captain.
The country is celebrating the win, and the team also celebrated through the night after the final on Sunday.
"I wish I could share everything we did that night after becoming world champions, but we had a good time and we were awake until 8 AM in the morning," Suryakumar said.
He is now looking forward to the start of the IPL on March 28.
"Now the plan is to rest, then prepare for the IPL. In the next cycle, we will start preparing for the Olympics, where our aim is to win gold," he said, referring to the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.