MUMBAI: India’s 2026 T20 World Cup-winning captain Suryakumar Yadav has admitted that the first couple of months after he was dropped from the Indian team, following the country’s second T20 World Cup triumph, were “difficult”. However, the birth of his daughter during IPL 2026, on May 7, also made what was otherwise a challenging period “beautiful” for him.After leading India to a memorable victory over New Zealand in the final on March 8 in Ahmedabad, Suryakumar was left out of India’s tours of Ireland and England following a prolonged lean patch. He has remained out of the national team since then, a phase that he admits has been difficult to deal with.“Things have been a little difficult after the T20 World Cup. I don’t want to run away from that fact. If you are not honest with yourself, it is very difficult to lead a happy life. So, to be very honest, it has been very difficult. But at the same time, during the IPL, I was blessed with a baby girl in May. The focus shifted completely towards her. The last few months, since she was born, have been very beautiful,” Suryakumar said at an event in Mumbai on Tuesday.The 36-year-old, who was appointed captain of the Mumbai team for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy by the Mumbai selectors on Monday, revealed that an honest conversation with his wife, Devisha Shetty, helped him rediscover his love for the game.“The first two months, though, were very difficult. But then I thought, why not go back to thinking about how I was before? How I started my cricket journey, when all I used to think about was playing age-group cricket for Mumbai and eventually representing Mumbai in first-class cricket. I sat down and thought about all these things and started chatting with my wife (Devisha Shetty). She said the same thing. She felt I needed to bring back the love and passion for the game that I had when I was a 15-year-old kid who wanted to represent Mumbai in Under-15 cricket,” he said.“So, that’s what I started thinking about, and I am now following the same things I did 10-15 years ago. I am training again, following the same passion and the same love for the game. Everything is back to normal now. When you start thinking about it and focus on playing this sport, you want to do well for your team and your family. Things change completely, and that’s what I am doing right now,” he added.With Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) president Ajinkya Naik and other officials present at the event, Suryakumar made it clear that his immediate goal was to lead Mumbai to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title. The tournament begins on November 14, with Mumbai scheduled to play their league-stage matches in Kolkata.“The main goal is what I used to think about earlier: win games for Mumbai and win the championship for Mumbai. Simple,” he said.
‘Sachin sir gave me his space in Mumbai dressing room’
Suryakumar also fondly recalled his early days in Mumbai cricket, particularly an incident involving legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar, which has stayed with him over the years.“When I first walked into the dressing room in 2010-11, I had seniors like Sachin sir, Amol Muzumdar and Ajit Agarkar. There were so many players whom I used to look up to. Whenever they went out for practice, I would spend a lot of time with them, talking. Sachin sir even gave me his space in the Mumbai dressing room, where he used to sit in the right corner. There was a small Ganesh Murti (statue) there. So, it was quite a special moment, a very memorable one. Obviously, as I gradually started taking over, things began to change. I don’t want to talk about when I first became the captain of Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, because things were very different at that time. I was a completely different person then. I have changed a lot since,” he recalled.The former Indian captain also spoke about the hunger and ambition he sees among the younger players in the Mumbai dressing room, adding that he makes himself available to guide them.“But now, when I look at all the boys and spend time with them, I see a completely different kind of passion and hunger. They want to achieve something, build a brand, represent Mumbai at the franchise level, play for the Mumbai Cricket Association and, ultimately, represent India. I spend time with a lot of them. My room is always open, 24/7. They can come in at any time, sit with me and chat. The only thing we talk about is how we can take things one step further. I have seen so many cricketers who have played alongside each other on the maidans of Mumbai cricket and learnt a lot of tricks from one another — how to handle situations, how to clear the sport. These are the things we discuss. Most importantly, we talk about how we can grow together,” he said.“That’s what I have seen over the last few months and years, whenever I have been part of the Mumbai dressing room and had the opportunity to spend time with the boys. Though I didn’t get that opportunity during this Ranji Trophy season, going forward, in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, there will definitely be good times ahead,” he added.Suryakumar said he was excited about working with the next generation of Mumbai cricketers and helping them take the team forward.“There is still a lot to learn, and I continue to learn from all the players. There are a lot of young cricketers in the team right now. As Rajdeep sir showed in the video of Suved Parkar, Divyansh Saxena and the others, these boys are getting a platform to play domestic cricket, get recognised by IPL franchises and eventually get picked by them. I think this is a very important time for them. I would be very happy and privileged to spend time with them and play for this association. I have always been around; I have been here for the last 16 years, and that energy and passion are still there. I would be very happy to take this forward, lead the team this time and win the tournament,” he said.
‘Your goal should never be to play only in IPL’
Suryakumar also stressed that young cricketers should not make playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) their primary ambition. Instead, he believes representing Mumbai and eventually India should remain their biggest goals.“I feel that the end goal, or even the first goal, should never be to think about playing in the IPL. Everyone dreams of playing for India. If you ask any kid playing on the maidans of Mumbai cricket right now, they won’t say they want to play in the IPL. They will first say, ‘I want to play for Mumbai. I want to represent Mumbai at the age-group level. I want to represent Mumbai in first-class cricket. I want to have that cap,’ which is really special,” he said.“After that, when you do well in domestic cricket and put up terrific performances, you get recognised. That is when everything else comes into the picture. So, the first dream has to be playing for India, but you have to take it one step at a time. Obviously, you represent Mumbai in age-group cricket, you play club cricket — which I feel is one of the most prestigious things — and then you go on to represent your State. After that, all the opportunities open up, as they rightly said. The platform becomes available,” he explained.“So, you keep your focus on that, and everything else will follow. Playing for Mumbai and then playing for India — I think these two things are very, very special. The platform is important, and the MCA provides so many opportunities,” Suryakumar concluded.
