The 2023 ODI final loss is now well and truly a thing of the past.
“(I’m) very happy. It will take a little bit of time to sink in. (We) have just come out of a good game at home. When we wake up tomorrow, it will be a special feeling,” the India captain said after recording a 96-run win against New Zealand.
Suryakumar was delighted with the team’s performance.
“It was important to sit together and understand what this team demands. Understanding their responsibilities, chipping in at the right time, talking to each player when he is not doing well—that is more important for me.
“When someone is not okay, you try to spend time with him, take him out for dinners, talk to him, because those are the players who will do something special for you when the time comes. Like how Abhishek (Sharma) did just now, and Sanju (Samson) did in the last three games. I think freedom of speech in the dressing room is very important. If you don’t listen to everyone, you can’t take everyone together and win a trophy,” he said.
Watch the full press conference here:
Suryakumar also hinted that the Los Angeles Summer Games of 2028 were part of his plans. “Definitely the next goal is an Olympic gold and also the T20 World Cup that year,” he said.
The ever-smiling captain also looked back at the time he took over the reins of the T20I side from Rohit Sharma. He said, “When I started leading this amazing team, it was a very special feeling because I knew we were going to play the T20 World Cup in India after two years. And no team had ever won on home soil. When you play any tournament in India, there is a different vibe, a different excitement. The way we played in this T20 World Cup is the way we always wanted to play.”
The 35-year-old also reserved praise for coach Gautam Gambhir, who was sittinbeside the skipper at the press conference.
| Photo Credit:
EMMANUAL YOGINI
Gautam Gambhir (second from left), who had won the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup as a player in 2007, lifted the trophy as a coach 19 years later, in Ahmedabad on March 8.
| Photo Credit:
EMMANUAL YOGINI
He said, “I knew Gauti bhai’s expectations of me. There were so many times when we were both picking a team of 14 players and still ended up picking the same people. The camaraderie was always set. There have been no arguments because we were always focussed on what is beneficial for the team.”
Gambhir had a long list of people to thank.
He said, “I should dedicate this trophy to Rahul (Dravid) bhai and (VVS) Laxman. Indian cricket is in such good shape because of Rahul bhai. Laxman has unconditionally done so much for the game, especially from behind the doors, because (the BCCI) CoE remains the pipeline. Third is Ajit Agarkar because he does take a lot of flak for the amount of honesty he’s worked with.
“And last but not the least, I have to thank Jay Shah, because not many people have actually called me when I went through the lowest moments in my tenure—whether it was after New Zealand or South Africa. And I have to thank him for trusting me with this job. Until these guys are there, I think Indian cricket is in very, very safe hands.”
Suryakumar and Gambhir leave the hall knowing it is time for the party to rage long into the good night. They would want to soak in the moment until yet another T20 carnival — the Indian Premier League — swoops in about three weeks.
Published on Mar 09, 2026
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