About six months into his India captaincy, Suryakumar Yadav realized that attempting to act as a “father figure” or “elder brother” to the team’s younger players would not be effective.
The man from Mumbai came to the conclusion that the only thing that would work was to permit unrestricted communication of ideas, freedom of expression, and the ability for each flower to blossom in its own unique way.
Surya made the decision that although he would “follow the footsteps of Rohit Sharma,” the “shoes will be his own” with ample assistance from coach Gautam Gambhir, who feels that 7-ball-21s should be recognized as much as a hundred.
“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 ground. 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 leave them. There is no point in holding on to them. You have to leave them open. Only then you can get the best from them,” PTI quoted Suryakumar as saying when he was asked about the atmosphere of the change-room and what kind of advice does he give the youngsters.
He realized that a team is similar to a bouquet in which each lovely flower has a special location.
“Every player has different skills and strengths. It’s not that I haven’t said anything 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,” Surya succinctly described his idea of leadership.
The nicest thing about Surya is that he didn’t lose sight of his sense of humor, even though March 8 will be the most significant day in his career.
He had a cheeky response when asked if he thought his predecessor Rohit Sharma’s boots were too big for him: “Sir, shoes are mine, I only follow his footsteps.”
He discussed the important lessons he learned from Rohit’s leadership.
“The way, where he left, I got to learn a lot of things 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 thoughts of mine as well. And it’s worked really well,” he said.
The final on Sunday marks two years of a journey for Suryakumar.
“We’ve been preparing for this stage really well. Started two years back in its journey and the circle has come to the same stadium again where we left in 2023. Hopefully, we play some good cricket, be courageous in tough situations,” he concluded.
