SKY details 'special bond' with Gambhir ahead of Sri Lanka series

Skipper Suryakumar Yadav spoke of his equation with new India head coach Gautam Gambhir ahead of the Sri Lanka series.

Nearly a month after the title win at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024, India embark on a new journey in the shortest format of the game with the upcoming bilateral series in Sri Lanka.

With a new head coach (Gautam Gambhir) and a new skipper (Suryakumar Yadav), India are forging a fresh unit in this format with the next major event just a couple of years away. The retirement of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja has forced India to field a fresh-looking side in T20Is, but the skipper brushed aside any concerns regarding the replacements.

"It will be difficult to fill the shoes, but obviously people have practiced so much, new players have come, they are already doing well when they play franchise cricket," Suryakumar said in a joint press conference ahead of the series.

"And the matches they played for India, they have done very well in that too. So I have a lot of trust in those three, who have just come in their place, that they will do well."

Speaking of captaincy, the middle-order batter said that it was like a dream come true for him to lead the Indian side.

Three years since his debut in the format, Suryakumar has not only risen to the top rungs of the batting rankings in T20Is but also now been given the chance to lead the side.

"Every player's dream is to represent India, to do good for India," he explained. "So that was my first dream. When it is going well, then gradually you think how you can win India in a big tournament, you can win matches.

"Then another goal comes that if you ever become the captain of India, then it remains in your dream that if you become the captain, then how will you win India after playing against good teams. So this is also another dream that has come true. And it feels good."

Speaking highly of Rohit Sharma's influence, Suryakumar said that the former captain was a true leader of the team.

"I always think that what I have learned from Rohit Sharma, he was always like a leader on the ground and off the field. He was not like a captain. There is a lot of difference in both. There was a leader who was standing in the middle of the group, and he showed people the way, how to play this T20 cricket and how to win the tournament."

India will also have fresh faces in the coaching staff along with Gambhir – Ryan ten Doeschate and Abhishek Nayar, who have also been roped into the setup.

Speaking about his equation with Gambhir, under whom he played in the IPL in his early days, Suryakumar stated that the duo shared a 'special bond'.

"Our bond has always been special," the skipper said, speaking about his relationship with Gambhir.

"From 2014 till now, it has been exactly 10 years. In 2018, I joined another [IPL] franchise and he joined another franchise. But we used to talk regularly about the game. When he used to play with another team, I used to play with him. We used to discuss the game to see if we could do better in that match.

"The learning has been going on since six years when I was not with him. This bond is always special. We have talked a lot, but not so much. But he knows my body language. When I see his body language, I know what he wants to say to me. And what I want to say to him. When I say no, he understands what he wants and what I want. So this bond is very special between coach and captain. I am very excited for this journey ahead of me."