Suryakumar Yadavwho recently led indian national cricket team The man who scored a historic victory in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup admitted that while he dreams of playing Test cricket, the shortest format of the game is still where he feels most comfortable.The India skipper in an interview with PTI reflects on his journey across formats, his love for red-ball cricket and why T20 cricket ended up being his natural space.
Still dreaming of playing test match cricket
“…what you write in your life, you only get that. I started with red-ball cricket itself, playing the Ranji Trophy for 10-12 years. I played a lot of red-ball cricket in Mumbai because if you grow up in Mumbai, you start with the red-ball itself, so everything revolves around the red ball,” he said.
“But gradually, when we started playing white-ball cricket, the tendencies changed a bit. After that, I started taking up this format (T20). I also tried a lot in one-day cricket, hoping to do well, but nothing happened,” he said.“T20s are a workout for me and I’ve become very good at it; you could say,” he said.
audi cricket never worked for him
While Suryakumar has excelled in T20 cricket, he admits that the 50-over format doesn’t quite suit his game.“I feel, even though I’ve experienced ODI cricket up close and seen it firsthand, it’s a format where you have to bat in three different ways. Sometimes, if you go in early, if the wicket falls quickly, then you have to bat like in Test cricket.“Then you have to bat at a good strike rate like you did one day and then at the end of the innings you have to bat like in the T20 format. So, it was a format that I never understood. I tried my best to play it. But it’s a challenging format,” he said.Suryakumar last played an ODI in the 2023 Cricket World Cup final against Australia, where he scored 18 runs off 28 balls. India lost the final and he has not played an ODI since then.
ODI cricket still has its charm
The India skipper recalled the incredible atmosphere during the ODI World Cup 2023 and said the tournament showed that the format still has a unique appeal.Suryakumar also recalled the emotions the format stirred up during the 2023 World Cup.“…When I go into the 2023 ODI World Cup with the team and play, the atmosphere, the whole vibe of that format, the preparation going into the final. It’s completely different from what we had in the 2026 and 2024 T20 World Cups.“So, it has a different charm, ODI cricket has a different charm, T20 has a different charm,” he explained.
