Suryakumar Yadav at Express Adda: Important to give players like Abhishek Sharma a cushion to play naturally, says Suryakyumar

"I know he won't score 16 zeroes in a row. It is a sport, it can happen a few times, it happened to me as well. You need a cushion to play your own game. You have to be very fresh to make that decision in a matter of seconds. You blink and the ball is gone. I just tell everyone, play your own game, have your own plan, do what is best for the team. If in the process if things don't work put, no problem. You need to give them that license, you can't take away that identity from any player who has got success doing that."

"It's a sport. The same team that finished ninth in 2024 played in 2025 and we almost qualified. It didn't work in 2024, we rectified and tried to go through in 2025. These things happen."

"There is so much cricket in India. When a Test series happens there is another team playing another format. So why play other leagues"

"Growing up, we always watched Sachin sir on TV. Wo bolte hai na Sachin out ho gaya band kar do TV. It was the same in my house as well. THat was one person I enjoyed watching growing up. Then in 2011 I was lucky to spend time with him at MI, spoke to him a lot. So he was the one."

There are plenty of young kids in the crowd here to listen to India's T20 captain. There's even a kid holding up a banner for Surya. One kid asks him if MI or KKR have the better scouting system. "Who has more trophies?" The kid says MI. "And so you have answered the question," says SKY.

He is then asked if he ever wanted to bowl more than bat. "I never thought about bowling too much. I did enjoy bowling a lot, still do. But batting is going really well, brother."

Playing for India's richest family or playing for India's richest movie star is the question. "When everything is going so well why? I still have a lot of cricket to play," says Suryakumar to laughter from around the room.

He is then understand who understands cricket more. "Definitely MI because he (Aakash Ambani) plays himself. He plays with us, we talk about cricket a lot. (Does Shahrukh Khan play cricket? I have never seen him play. If I see, I will comment."

Should there be more IPL teams: "I think these many is good"

The one umpire decision that still bothers you: "(After thinking a lot) None."

The one reason bowlers don't become captains: "Who says that? I think bowlers are good captains. I think maybe in Test cricket, they get tired after bowling throughout the day."

Supla or inside out: "Supla"

The one fitness reality people over 30 should know: "Whether it be 30 or 20, you should eat well."

One thing Gambhir has learnt from him: "I'll have to ask him but I don't think there is anything"

One thing he learnt from Gambhir: "Being fearless on the ground and listening to everyone on the field when they want to do something. Because he did it when he was captain."

Last time you disagreed with Gambhir: "Let me think about the Asia Cup, did I disagree...? I didn't. Everything was going so well, why should I disagree"

When you had a difference of opinion with Gambhir: "Maybe when he was captain of KKR but not any more."

Rohit Sharma: "Garden," to widespread laughter.

Virat Kohli: "GOAT"

Jasprit Bumrah: "Brother"

Salman Agha: "Stop"

Shubman Gill: "A smiling emoji"

SKY says that the tattoo he values the most is the one that has names and portraits of his parents. Second comes the one with the his wife. "Around 2013 or 2014, I thought of a lot of designs but I didn't know how to start. So first tattoo was of my mom and dad. They liked it and so I knew ok, I can get more now."

On being asked the most bizarre superstition you have seen a cricketer follow: "Our two-format captain Mr. Shubman Gill. There is a colour code of your pad that BCCI gives, it has to be the same as your trouser. He has been using these very light blue pads since start of 2023 and he has been doing very well with them. Same colour, I don't know if he changes the pad. That colour is completely off. It is not an India colour pad. That is what he has been using for the past 2-3 years. We will see now in the ODI series."

Favourite sport to play after cricket: Pickleball

Favourite sport to watch after cricket: Some more of cricket, maybe football

How many chewing gums he goes through a day: I only chew gum when I am batting.

There is a caffeine gum, before going in to bat I eat it.

Hindi or English commentary: Hinglish, he says at first, when pressed he says: "Maatru bhasha, Hindi".

Last use of AI in sport that fascinated you: "I don't remember"

"I am very relaxed on the ground, even when under the pressure. I try and smile, relax. There are lots of things going in the bowler's mind. In a team environment, everyone has their own thought process. It's important to listen to everyone. And then, how you want them to go forward. I want everyone to be same as their identity since the beginning when they played for their states and and franchises. I respect what the other guy wants to do. If someone is doing well for the team, nothing like it.

"It's still there (the aggression). We will know when we go to Australia for the T20I series. Recently we were in South Africa after that T20 World Cup. And there, let alone the players, the crowd was so aggressive. Even South African players. Off the field the frienship is there but on the field that aggression was there. That hasn't reduced. We meet and talk in the IPL, that's a good thing. But I don't think it has become friendly."

"A lot of countries are coming up. Italy qualified for the T20 World Cup, we played countries like Oman and UAE. So there are a lot of countries that are coming up slowly. With good guidance they can do well.

"Olympics will definitely help. It is a good addition."

"I feel the recent Test series, India vs England, and a lot of series going on right now.

Anant Goenka points out that the West Indies series were the exact opposite. "Because we played well," says Suryakumar.

On the difference between how players enjoy Test cricket compared to the audience: "The audience are enjoying. After any Test series, any match, you see a lot of people tweeting about it, talking about it. It is here to say. It is the best format of cricket.

"If you look at the results and achievements of MI, that means they have done really well throughout the IPL. Different franchises follow different cultures. I think a lot of things dpeend on how the owners, coaches and captains want the other players to feel when they come into this franchise. In MI, you feel comfortable but at the same time, they push your limits. They want you to do well for the team and be a complete teamman. That is how they make cricketers. That is a completely different culture we have.

"I have played for KKR, there the culture is completely different. Difficult to differentiate between the franchises."

"Our relationship is that of elder and younger brothers. I played for four years under him at KKR. Learnt a lot from him there. Even now, life has come full circle. He is coach and I am captain of the T20 team. So when we discuss squads a lot of time it so happens that he picks an eleven, and I pick an eleven, there are absolutely no differences. On the ground also if I want to make a decision, I look at the dugout. You see things differently from outside and he just moves his head a bit and I get the message. That is the trust we have between us. Touchwood, it's going really well."

"I won't lie, everyone feels that fear. But, it is the kind of fear that makes you feel motivated. The camaraderie between him (Shubman Gill) and me is amazing off the field and on it. I know what kind of player and human he is. So it motivates me to do well. If I was so scared then I wouldn't played my first ball in international cricket the way I did. So I have left that fear behind a long time back. I believe if I am working hard on myself, being honest to myself. Then rest everything will be taken care of.

"But I am very happy for him that he has become captain in two formats. He has done really well"

Suryakumar Yadav on more scrutiny on players once they cross 30. "According to me, age is just a number. If you are scoring runs and doing everything your team wants, then it is just a number. I was reading about James Anderson recently, he is in his mid-40s now and he recently renewed his contract with Lancashire. So I think, age is just a number. If you are doing well, then it is in our hands till when you want to play."

"They provided me with the best of everything. They got me to open a few times. Then my position at 3-4 became fixed. I spoke with the coaches who told me which aspects to work for in my batting. Practice facilities were provided in Mumbai where I stay. These things people don't really see."

"From cricketing perspective, on the ground, with so many of the best people around, you get to learn so many things. MI prepares players to do well on the big occassions, when the pressure is high. Latest example is Tilak Varma. The way he batted in the Asia Cup was fantastic. He is a perfect product of MI. He came when he was around 18-19, he is around 21-22, he still has a lot to learnt. This is the cricketing aspect.

"Then there is the homely feeling. They make the players feel really comfortable. I feel what you do off the field is the best place to understand every player.

"These things work in parallel and you see a proper product when a player plays for MI. That's why everyone wants to play for MI."

"We feel like a family in the dressing room, in the hotel, training or the dressing room. All the players are capable of leading any team in the world but there is some feeling over there. You can only feel that being with that team. It makes you ready for bigger occassions, helps you when things don't go your way."

"That's just a stand I took that day. It also happened to be my birthday so I thought this is a good day. We took a collective stand in the dressing room. I didn't know that I would be the one to take that stand at that moment. And there is no harm in taking a stand for the country."

"I got good responses. At first I heard people were asking why we are playing at all. But then later, well, I got more birthday wishes than anything else. And then a lot of good wishes."

"Irrespective of what your position, your job is to do something special for India. If you have done that, doesn't matter if you are playing under someone or you are captain. It's just an added responsibility, just a C written in brackets.

"I have always felt that, regardless of whether I play for Mumbai, or MI or the Indian team. That is how I work."

"I love to hear it every morning after shower. 10 or 15 minutes I am with myself, it calms me down. If I am in a rush, I put it in my career. My mother is very religious and she says that Hanuman ji needed to remind himself of his strength. So if you listen to it, you will also be reminded of what you can do. So on game day I keep listening to it and I feel relaxed. It's become a routine."

"They wanted me to become an engineer. They thought I would do really well, they just didn't know I will do well doing something else. But when he saw I am interested in cricket, my father said ok, play. Then slowly they saw that I am very serious and really started supporting me."

"Never really thought about it but I always felt I could be a good businessman. My parents also felt I have got a brain for it. I have given some advice also to others about doing business. So definitely if I wasn't playing cricket, I would've gone into business."

"I have been very relaxed, very happy with what is happening. There was a time when everything weren't going my way and that is when my wife said, you have to be relaxed. You can't be on top of the moon when doing well and then hiding in the room, not meeting anyone when you don't do well. Balance things out. This is just part of your life, not your life. That is when I realised, I love the sport but I can't play till I'm 60-70. You can play for 10 years, 15 years, some legends play 25 years. But then, you have to realise that at some point, it is just part of your life, not your whole life."

"I was blessed to have a lovely family and a few good friends who are still in touch with me. They kept me grounded after any tour or IPL game. They were always like haa theek hai yaar, tune run banaya theek hai. They stayed the same even after my failures also. They were the same. So I figured who are the real people around me. Even Devisha is like that. They all keep my grounded. After having food, go keep your plate and come and so on."

An interesting old photo of Suryakumar is shown on the big screen. "That's not me," jokes Suryakumar. "I think this is AI."

"This is around the time of my wedding, I didn't tell anyone that I was going to do this. This is when she had told me not to do a lot of things, I went and did it out of ego. But yes, I got a lot of stick for this."

Devendra Pandey then reveals the story behind this hair. "Surya was about to get banned by Mumbai Cricket Association because somebody had betrayed him. His teammate had recorded a call between him and gave it to an official. Then, selectors decided not to pick him for SMAT because of his hair. He was told if you want to play cricket, fix your hair and everything else. And destiny decided that he was going to be India's captain."

"She has played a huge role. She knew I was playing domestic cricket, she was following that when we were dating also. She said you are playing at a good level but what's next? I said I want to play for India and she said, will you play just like that?

"Then I felt, oh ok. Slowly we started working on my times. Cutting out late nights. She said work hard Monday to Friday. Saturday, Sunday, you take break. Spend time with your family, spend time with me. Slowly, just like a plane taking off, cricket also took off."

"She has always been there behind the scenes. She doesn't like making public appearances. I feel she was the best thing that happened to me. I have saved her number on my phone as 'Best decision of my life'."

"When I made my debut I was 31. I kept playing, I made my first class debut in 2010. From then, making my India debut in 2021, that was a very long time. I kept working hard. When we play this sport, we always dream of playing for the country, try and do really special whenever given an opportunity. That drove me.

"After 2017 or 2016. No 2016, when I got married, not 2017, please cut this part or else my wife will say you don't even remember when you got married! Then we started having a conversation in a different way. What was something we could do to channelise our energy towards that goal of getting the India cap. Then I got more disciplined, came back to MI in 2018, got more opportunities to bat higher up the order. Those 3 years, 2018, 19, 20 completely changed everything. Then in 2021 I made my debut and that was THE feeling."

More on that catch: "Mauke pe chauka? Theek hai mauka milla, match me chauka toh nahi maar paaya (laughs). If you are a pure batsman, fielding is the only aspect in which you can make a difference (without the bat). So we practice for a lot for it so that we can do something when the chance comes. But I never thought it would be like this. With 16 needed off six, everything on the line. But when it came, I didn't get any time to think. People keep asking me to walk through that moment. I can talk about it all day but its very difficult to describe it. It just happened."

A video is played of that famous catch Suryakumar Yadav took in that incredible last over of the epic 2024 T20 World Cup final between India and South Africa. "It was written game yehi palta (this is where the game changed), but the game actually changed when 2-3 of our bowlers bowled between 16 and 19th overs. Then that opportunity came up. But the game really changed in those overs.

"I was standing at long off and throughout I was thinking, when will that moment come? Because I got out early and it was only fielding where I could do something. But the overs went by, the last one came, and I was thinking when will that chance come. I was going to long on actually, Virat bhai was going to field at long off. He would've caught it as well but that opportunity, that moment remains the greatest of my cricketing career"

All right here we go then! Suryakumar Yadav at Express Adda, in conversation with Anant Goenka, Executive Director, The Indian Express Group, and Devendra Pandey, Deputy Associate Editor, The Indian Express.

The Indian captain was seen signing some autographs for some his young fans. The session is set to start any minute now.

All right, the eagle has landed. Suryakumar Yadav has arrived, he can be seen here in conversation with Anant Goenka, Executive Director, The Indian Express Group, and Devendra Pandey, Deputy Associate Editor, The Indian Express.

The Express Adda is a series of informal interactions organised by The Indian Express Group and features those at the centre of change.

Previous guests include External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran, Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, philanthropist Bill Gates, Union Housing and Urban Affairs and Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, and motivational strategist Gaur Gopal Das.

The list also includes several sports personalities, such as cricket icons Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, chess legend Viswanathan Anand, and Olympic gold-medallist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra.

India's T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav is today's guest at Express Adda. Having made his debut at the age of 31 in 2021, Suryakumar has gone on to be recognised as the best T20I batter in the world and one of India's finest contributions to the format. He is India's third highest run scorer of all time in T20Is, having scored 2670 runs in 90 matches at an incredible strike rate of 164.20 and average of 37.08. He has scored as many as four centuries in the format and 21 half-centuries. Interestingly enough, Suryakumar has hardly ever been able to establish himself in any other format - he played 37 ODIs and scored 773 at an average of 25.76 with four fifties. Suryakumar was part of the Indian team that suffered a heartbreaking defeat in the 2023 World Cup final. He also managed just a solitary appearance in Test cricket. However, Suryakumar is pretty much the harbringer of change in T20Is for India, with his aggressive style of batting setting the template for India's approach in the format today.