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4 min readFeb 10, 2026 05:37 PM IST
Suryakumar Yadav is looking to lead India to a second consecutive T20 World Cup title. (PTI Photo)
Perhaps the biggest issue Gautam Gambhir was bound to confront as coach was – Gautam Gambhir himself. The perennially intense personality, barely smiles, and can’t exactly be expected to crack a joke-a-minute. He is just not known to be that person, and Blues in his case might just mean glum mugs. But in captain Suryakumar Yadav, he’s lucked out and found a foil to himself – someone with a sense of humour, and ability to keep team atmosphere light, even as the coach stays high strung and does his thing.
Speaking on JioStar’s ‘Follow the Blues’ however, Gambhir conceded captain Suryakumar has made his life easier, acting like the dressing room’s thermostat. It might just be the secret to how this duo of a completely unenigmatic grouchy coach and a happy go lucky skipper, functions.
With Pakistan actually fetching up to play this weekend, a calm dressing room might well be needed.
India registered a winning start to their T20 World Cup campaign with a 29-run victory over the USA in Mumbai, where Surya’s unbeaten knock of 84 runs salvaged a nervy top order funk. Gambhir hailed Suryakumar as a leader speaking to the broadcaster, above his batting exploits.
“Surya has made my life a lot easier in this format, and 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.
The Gambhir gush refered to Surya’s man management. “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. 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 told JioHotstar.
Gambhir clearly realises the importance of having a light team atmosphere off the field:
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“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 is relaxed, and that’s extremely important, because once you walk onto the field, it’s serious business, he said, adding, “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 reckons it’s a fairly good team environment. “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,” Gambhir said.
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