Suryakumar Yadav is gradually realizing the magnitude of the accomplishment that has placed him in the august company of Kapil Dev, MS Dhoni, and Rohit Sharma, who led the team in winning World Cup trophies, two days after leading India to a T20 World Cup victory.
Suryakumar discussed the team’s triumphant campaign and the future shortly after returning from Ahmedabad, where India won a record third T20 World Cup victory on Sunday.
“It feels good to win 24 and 26 back-to-back. It is a very special feeling. When we won in 2024, we thought it would be so special to do this again at home in 2026,” PTI quoted SKY as saying on Tuesday.
“The next target is to win the Olympic gold in 2028. The team has a good momentum. If India wins the T20 World Cup in the same year, it will be great.”
Regarding being likened to players like Rohit and Dhoni, he stated: “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 more trophies.”
The 1983 ODI World Cup won by Kapil Dev’s side was the nation’s first significant victory. India won both the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 ODI World Cup under Dhoni’s leadership. When India won in Barbados in June 2024, ending an ICC trophy drought, Rohit was captain.
Prior to the ICC tournament, Suryakumar disclosed that he had a conversation with Dhoni.
“I had met him (Mahendra Singh 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 skipper.
After Sunday’s final, the team and the nation celebrated the victory all night long.
“I wish I could share everything what we have done on that night after being world champions but then we had a good time. We were awake till 8 AM in the morning,” Suryakumar said.
He is now looking forward to the IPL, which starts 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 added while referring to the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
After India won its third T20 World Cup, the BCCI announced on Tuesday that the entire team would receive a cash prize of Rs 131 crore. 15 players, coaches, and other support personnel are covered by the sum.
