Mumbai: India’s T20 World Cup-winning skipper Suryakumar Yadav opened up on his conversations with Sanju Samson as he sat on the sidelines battling with form during the first half of this year’s T20 World Cup and how he saw opener Abhishek Sharma as a player who would win him his first ICC tournament as a captain.Suryakumar Yadav was speaking to Aakash Chopra on his YouTube channel.Speaking about Samson, who had been dropped from the side during the first half of the tournament after managing just 46 runs in five innings against New Zealand, and Ishan Kishan had taken his place as a top-choice opener/wicketkeeper-batter, Suryakumar said that he informed Sanju that it would be difficult keeping him in the line-up and Samson took the call very positively, urging his skipper to do “whatever he feels is right to make the team win the World Cup”. Samson also assured him that he would be there whenever needed and would train as he was going to be playing.“We were on the bus, and I told him that it was going to be difficult with how it was going. He told me just one thing: do whatever you feel is right to make this team win the World Cup. He said he is there whenever I need him, as he will prepare as if he were going to play. I gained a lot of confidence hearing that. Aise bhi log hote hain life mein,” recalled Suryakumar.He called dropping Samson as his “toughest call”, saying that while he failed to score against Sri Lanka in 2024, he was still backed to play. It was during that year Samson scored three centuries in five innings, with one coming at home against Bangladesh and two coming against South Africa away from home. But next year, he could manage just 222 runs in 15 innings, with just one fifty while batting at different positions, which put his place as an opener in danger.
“That was my toughest call because I knew that he was a good person. We went to Sri Lanka in 2024, and he did not score a lot of runs there. He asked me what he should do. We were playing the Duleep Trophy in Anantapur. I told him I had confidence in him and that the coach had shown it as well. I assured him that he would play the next seven matches, and even if he scored seven ducks, he would still play the eighth,” Suryakumar recalled.
However, Samson’s journey towards redemption started with a short and sweet cameo of 24 runs against Zimbabwe in a must-win game against Zimbabwe after a loss to South Africa. The batter would set the World Cup on fire, from a virtual quarterfinal against West Indies to the final against NZ, scoring 97*, 89 (against England in the semis) and 89 (in the final), to end as India’s top run-getter with 321 runs and walk away with the T20 WC and ‘Player of the Tournament’ award.Shifting focus to Abhishek, Suryakumar recalled that when he became T20I captain in 2024, he was “completely dazzled” by Abhishek’s batting and felt he could win the World Cup for him as he would kill the game in the powerplay itself.When I became the captain in 2024, the first time I saw him, I understood that this is a player who would win me the World Cup. Then, with how he played throughout the year, he was the No. 1 batter in T20Is and finished half the game in the powerplay itself. I wanted a player who could do those things. I was completely dazzled,” he said.
But after a massive stretch of great form, runs dried up for Abhishek in the tournament as he could score just a fifty against Zimbabwe and other than duck, all scores below 20, including three successive ducks. But in the final, Abhishek repaid the faith with a quickfire 52 in 21 balls, ending the tournament with 141 runs and two fifties.
Suryakumar supported Abhishek during his lean phase, encouraging him to play his natural game. He said that there was no intervention on part of him and coach, as they were aware of his abilities, and Abhishek promised him that he will score good for his skipper.
“I told him that irrespective of anything, play in the same fashion till the World Cup because this is your identity. He started in the World Cup and could not score. I didn’t talk to him at all. The coach also didn’t say anything because he knew what this player can do if he batted for just six overs. Before the final, he was thinking, ‘Main karunga aap ke liye paaji (I will do it for you).’ I told him that there is no responsibility or pressure on you; just show me your game. There is no problem if you get out while trying to hit a six on the first ball,” he recalled.
Suryakumar also identified a 76-run loss to South Africa in Super Eight as a turning point, jokingly remarking that “sab ka screw achanak se tight ho gaya”.After the India-South Africa match in Ahmedabad, we realized that we were going to do something special. Sab log ka screw achanak se tight ho gaya (everyone suddenly got charged up). Everyone started seeing each other, thinking, now we will have to do something. There is a very thin line between it will happen, and you have to make it happen. Everyone pushes together in that,” he signed off.
