Overview:
SKY was nervous the night before the final and his wife made him feel comfortable.
India captain Suryakumar Yadav led from the front in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, with the co-host winning the trophy after defeating New Zealand by 96 runs in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium. The tournament was not easy for opener Abhishek Sharma, who lost his form and went on to record three consecutive ducks.
Although he hit two fifties, the failures clearly took a toll on him. Varun Chakravarthy was another player who was slammed for fours and sixes by the rival players from the start of the Super 8 stage.
However, the team management didn’t drop the two stars and showed their faith in their abilities.
“It is important to talk to your players. I told Abhishek and Varun that I am the best person to talk to you, as I have been through tough times. I didn’t score a fifty in 2025, but I knew that once I started scoring, the situation would change. I told Abhishek that even if you score eight zeroes, you would still play in the final,” Suryakumar Yadav said.
“I would have kept Varun in the team even if he had conceded 70 runs in all the games. Look, players like Sanju Samson, Varun and Abhishek are match-winners. They covered for me when I was not in form, and it was my duty to back them,” he added.
SKY was nervous the night before the final. “I am proud of everyone. I was nervous last night. I had seen Rohit bhai and how nervous he was before the final in 2024. I had faith in my players, and my wife made me feel comfortable. We could have started the tournament on a better note, but I knew someone would bail us out, and it was me against the USA. We had to tighten the screws after losing to South Africa,” he concluded.