India's T20I Captain Suryakumar Yadav Opens Up On "Very Special" Relationship With Head Coach Gautam Gambhir

Add as a preferred source on Google

India's T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav has opened up on his relationship with new head coach Gautam Gambhir, recalling his days at Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) earlier in his career.

Following Rohit Sharma's retirement from T20 internationals, Suryakumar was appoined the captain of the Indian T20I side for the Sri Lanka tour, while Gambhir took over the role as head coach after T20 World Cup-winning coach Rahul Dravid vacated the post last month.

India's tour of Sri Lanka, which begins with a T20I on Saturday (July 27) and consists of three T20Is and three ODIs each, will be Gambhir's first assignment as head coach of the national team.

In a video posted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Suryakumar spoke about playingunder Gambhir for KKR back in 2014 and how excited he is to carry forward this "strong relationship".

"This relationship (with Gambhir) is very special because when I went in IPL 2014, I played under him for KKR. It was special because I got the opportunity to play for that franchise. My relationship is still strong with him," said Suryakumar.

"But he knows how I work, what my mindset is when I come to practice with him, and how he tries to work. as a coach it is all about that lovely relationship we have and very excited to see how it goes forward."

Gambhir was one of Suryakumar's biggest early support systems and it was evident in the fact that the batter was once even the vice-captain of KKR. And now, in Gambhir's first job to pick a squad, Suryakumar has been named captain of the T20I side.

On being a leader, Suryakumar said that he always enjoys being a leader on the field and he has learnt a lot of things from other captains he has played under. "It is a good feeling and a great responsibility also," Yadav added.

Talking about one big lesson this sport has given him, Suryakumar Yadav said that it has taught him to be humble and add a sense of balance to his life.

"I think the most important thing I have learnt from this sport is how humble you are after achieving something or even after when you are not doing well. That is one thing that I have learned," Suryakumar said.

"When you do something on the ground, you have to leave it on the ground and when you go off the field, that is it. This is not your life. It is just part of your life.

"So you cannot be... When you are doing well, you stay on the top and when you're not doing well, you are underground. That is one thing which I feel you should not do as a sportsman."

This wll be Suryakumar Yadav's second run as captain, having led India in seven T20Is last year during the home T20I series against Australia and an away series against South Africa, winning five matches and losing two.