With high expectations for the hosts, India captain Suryakumar Yadav stated on Saturday that he will have “butterflies in the stomach” when he steps out for the T20 World Cup final against New Zealand.
Over 100,000 people are anticipated to attend the thrilling final in Ahmedabad on Sunday at the Narendra Modi Stadium, and hundreds of millions more will watch on television.
India, the reigning champions, want to become the first team to win back-to-back titles and aim for a record third crown. The T20 World Cup has never been won by a nation at home.
Suryakumar was instrumental in helping India win the World Cup in Barbados in 2024 and assumed the captaincy after Rohit Sharma retired from Twenty20 international cricket later that year.
“Leading such a wonderful side into a final that (is also on) home soil, it’s always a special feeling. Of course there are nerves, there will be butterflies in the stomach but as I always say, ‘if there is no pressure, there is no fun’. All the boys and the support staff and I am sure the whole of India is excited for tomorrow,” AFP quoted Suryakumar as saying.
Top-ranked India has been the team to beat in the competition and have only lost one game on their way to the final when South Africa halted their 12-match winning streak in the Super Eights.
Since then, India have won three straight games. In a high-scoring thriller, the bowlers, led by Jasprit Bumrah, retained their composure to defeat England by 7 runs.
At the Wankhede Stadium, Bumrah, the hero of India’s victory over South Africa in the 2024 final, bowled a nearly flawless 18th over to thwart England and Jacob Bethell’s heroic 105.
According to Suryakumar, 35, having players with huge international event experience enhances their arsenal.
“There’s a lot of benefit because there are a lot of players in this team who have played a lot of ICC events right from our coach (two-time World Cup winner Gautam Gambhir). So their experience is also important. And there are a lot of players, like Bumrah, Hardik (Pandya), Axar (Patel), there are a lot of players who have played in ICC events, in pressure situations,” said Suryakumar.
After the 2024 T20 World Cup, Virat Kohli followed Rohit in retirement, and Suryakumar claimed to have learned a lot from him.
“The way, where he left, I got to learn a lot of things from him when I was playing under him. I tried to implement the same things with a few thoughts of mine as well. And it’s worked really well,” said Suryakumar.
