Gautam Gambhir hails Suryakumar Yadav’s leadership in T20 cricket

Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir praised captain Suryakumar Yadav’s leadership in T20 cricket, saying his calm presence and player management have created a relaxed dressing room atmosphere, contributing significantly to the team’s recent success.

HYDERABAD: Indian team head coach Gautam Gambhir said that his captain Suryakumar Yadav had made his life a lot easier in the T-20 format.

“I think he’s a phenomenal leader of men, not because of the kind of batter he is or the shots he plays. All of that you can keep aside, but because of what he does on the cricket field,” Gambhir said in JioStar’s ‘Follow The Blues’ tv show.

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“The way he relates to players, the way he talks to them, the time he spends with them, and how relaxed he is on the field. As a Coach, that allows you to think about other things, because you know he’s going to keep the atmosphere calm, which is what any Coach can dream of,” the head coach said.

“For me, Surya, the player can be kept aside, but Surya the leader has ticked every box. He’s a phenomenal leader. It’s a great thing to have someone like him leading the country, because his heart is in the right place and he takes the right decisions, especially under pressure,” Gambhir said.

On the importance of having a light team atmosphere off the field, the 2011 ODI World Cup winner said, “For me, they are a great bunch of young boys. They want to have fun, they want to play for each other. The atmosphere and the dressing room are relaxed, and that’s extremely important, because once you walk onto the field, it’s serious business.”

“The dressing room, however, can never be serious all the time. Yes, you want to stay switched on, but you also need to be relaxed. You can’t be completely on edge in the dressing room. I think this environment has been really good,” Gambhir said.

“There’s always room for improvement, but these boys love playing for each other and sharing the dressing room together. That’s one of the reasons we’ve got results. Results aren’t only about the brand of cricket you play; there are many other factors involved, and in this format, we’ve had success because the boys genuinely enjoy being with each other,” he said.