India’s T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav described the past month as “a wonderful journey” after leading his side to a commanding 96-run victory over New Zealand in the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
India’s triumph on home soil capped a memorable campaign, with the skipper already setting his sights on the next major targets, including a gold medal at the 2028 Summer Olympics and defending the T20 World Cup title in 2028.
Reflecting on the campaign, Yadav admitted the tournament did not begin smoothly for the team but said their resilience and collective effort helped turn things around.
“Obviously, it has been a wonderful journey in the last one month. Though it didn’t start the way we wanted it to start, but then it’s part of the sport. Throughout the journey till today, it has been very special. And collectively as a team, what we’ve achieved, I think it’s right in front of you. So very happy with that,” Surya told the media at the press conference.
Looking ahead, the India captain made it clear that the team is already focused on the next big challenges. “So very happy with that. And as you rightly said, definitely the next goal is the Olympics, Olympic Gold, and also the 2028 World Cup. Don’t forget!”
The Mumbai batter also spoke about the importance of mental resilience and learning from failures, stressing that setbacks are an inevitable part of sport.
“It’s really important to understand that you’ll definitely fail more times than you succeed in sports. I mean, he must have seen it in his career. I have seen it last year, 2025. Whole year, I couldn’t get a 50. It took me 400 plus days to get a 50 for India. But that’s what I told the boys, the same thing. Ups and downs will definitely keep on coming in sport,” he said.
According to Suryakumar, building a successful team culture goes beyond technical ability and requires character, discipline and trust within the squad.
“You have to understand, you have to respect the game. You have to try and spend time with all good people around you. That’s more important. Be true to yourself. You can’t cheat the man in the mirror when you get up in the morning or you’re going to sleep,” he said.
The India skipper also highlighted the value of understanding teammates as individuals, their personalities, strengths and weaknesses, and said that creating a supportive environment helps players express themselves freely.
“So, those small, small things which you do off the field, I think when we come on the field, that actually gives you a lot of confidence, that gives them a lot of composure. Also, I feel you need to understand each character on the team. Everyone is different. They bring a different skill to the table. So, you need to speak to them, their temperaments, and understand them. That is actually very important and that’s what we did throughout the last one and a half years, two years,” the skipper stated.
He added that while representing the national team brings a different level of emotion, players should continue to rely on the strengths that helped them succeed in domestic and franchise cricket.
“Yes, the jersey colour changes, brings in a lot of emotion, the dry colour, but at the same time, what has given them success, they shouldn’t be running away from it,” he noted.