India national cricket team captain Suryakumar Yadav was fit at the press conference ahead of the five-match T20I series The opening match, against England, begins on Wednesday, January 22, at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. His one-liners were the main attraction during the press.
Well, Suryakumar Yadav is all set to return to action for the India national cricket team for the first time since the home series against Bangladesh in October 2024 with the upcoming white-ball series against England. India and England will compete against each other in 5 T20Is and 3 ODIs.
Suryakumar Yadav talks about his relationship with Hardik Pandya
Ahead of the first T20I at Eden Gardens, the Indian skipper shed light on his equation with Hardik Pandyawho intended to become the T20I captain after Rohit Sharma retired from the shorter format of the game after winning the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
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Suryakumar insisted that there was a strong camaraderie and mutual understanding between him and Hardik Pandya. The India captain also noted that Hardik is an integral part of the team's leadership group, saying their bond has strengthened over years of friendship.
“The relationship with Hardik is really great,” Suryakumar Yadav said at the pre-match press conference on Tuesday (January 21) in Kolkata. It's just the extra responsibility I have. Hardik is part of the leading group. We were good friends.”
It hurts that I didn't do well in ODIs: Suryakumar Yadav in ICC Champions Trophy 2025 snub
Additionally, Suryakumar also expressed his frustration with his poor ODI numbers as he spoke about being left out of India's squad for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025. He admitted that his struggles in form have not helped him and admitted the need to raise his level of play in ODIs. .
“It hurts that I didn't do well in the ODIs. That's why I'm not in the Champions Trophy squad. If I had done well, I would have been there,” the explosive batsman added.
Meanwhile, the coach of the India national cricket team Gautam Gambhir They are under tremendous pressure to produce good results after the team's recent defeats to Australia and New Zealand. However, Suryakumar Yadav insisted that the Men in Blue are moving in the right direction under Gambhir.
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Suryakumar Yadav expresses confidence in Gautam Gambhir's leadership ahead of T20I series
The Indian skipper shared the experience of playing under Gautam Gambhir for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), stating that he had the opportunity to play under Gambhir for four years.
He stressed that Gambhir's leadership style focuses on keeping things simple and giving the players the freedom to express themselves. Suryakumar signed off by saying, “I have played under Gauti bhai for four years. We are moving in the right direction. Gauti bhai keeps things simple. He gives us a lot of freedom.”
Notably, India has a strong record against England in T20I cricket, having won 13 out of the 24 matches they have played against each other so far. The Indian team has also won the last four T20I series against England, making them favorites to win the upcoming home series.
