Following the end of the Asia Cup 2025 final against Pakistan in Dubai, Indian T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav spoke candidly about the dynamics and relationship with head coach Gautam Gambhir.
Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav , the coach-captain team, led India to their ninth Asia Cup victory.
Suryakumar Yadav described his relationship with Gambhir as close-knit, comparing it to that of an older and younger brother. He acknowledged that during Gambhir’s time with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), he has been studying from the former.
“My relationship with Gauti bhai is similar to that of an older and younger brother. Together, we played a lot. For KKR, 4-5 [4] years. We are pretty familiar with one another. He has taught me a lot of things. Even though I played for Rohit, Gauti bhai taught me some captaincy skills while he was leading KKR. I’ve watched him play. He has always been there for us when we needed him. He is aware of how players think on the ground and how tournament preparations are necessary.
According to RevSportz, Suryakumar Yadav said, “If the player is doing well, how can we protect him and push him forward?”
The 35-year-old went into further detail about how Gambhir helps him out on the pitch. Given the degree of trust between the two, Suryakumar Yadav also acknowledged that he has frequently taken Gambhir’s counsel from outside the fence at face value.
“He is an all-knowing individual. Every time I’m on the ground, I glance to the dugout after each over, two overs, or three overs. I gaze at him. He has a gift for me. Because the game appears quite different from the outside. Sometimes when I’m on the ground, my mind is racing with so many ideas. Where to bowl, who to bowl to, and where to put the pitch. But whenever he’s outdoors, I just do it instinctively as soon as he gives me a signal. That’s a huge amount. We trust each other that much,” he continued.
In the end, India won every match to take home the trophy and go undefeated. After winning the Asia Cup in 2016, the Asian Games in 2023, and the T20 World Cup in 2024, this was the fourth time the Men in Blue have won a T20I event without dropping a single game.
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