"He knows how I work, what my mindset is": Suryakumar Yadav on relationship with Gambhir

Suryakumar Yadav (Pic: File Pic)

Ahead of the first T20I match against Sri Lanka, Team India's captain Suryakumar Yadav opened up on his bond with head coach Gautam Gambhir. They both earlier played for the same franchise, Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL.

The "Men in Blue" will lock horns with the island nation for three T20Is and the same number of ODIs. Shubman Gill who led the side in the Zimbabwe series is appointed as vice-captain of the Indian team in both the formats.

The series will also mark Gautam Gambhir's first task as Team India's head coach.

In a video posted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Suryakumar spoke about playing with KKR under Gambhir's captaincy back in 2014 and how their relationship has gotten strong over the years.

"This relationship (with Gambhir) is very special because when I went in IPL 2014, I played under him for KKR. It was special because I got the opportunity to play for that franchise. My relationship is still strong with him. But he knows how I work, what my mindset is when I come to practice with him, and how he tries to work. as a coach it is all about that lovely relationship we have and very excited to see how it goes forward," said Suryakumar.

Also Read: "We enjoy batting with each other": Shubman Gill on batting with Jaiswal

Earlier in the IPL, Suryakumar Yadav featured in 54 matches for KKR. The swashbuckler smashed 608 runs in 41 innings with an average of 22.52 and a strike rate of above 131.

Gambhir was one of Suryakumar's biggest early support systems and it was evident in the fact that the batter was once even the vice-captain of KKR.

Leading the side in the Sri Lankan series, Suryakumar Yadav said he always enjoys being a leader on the field and has learnt a lot of things from other captains under whom he has played.

"It is a good feeling and a great responsibility also," he added.

Talking about one big lesson this sport has given him, Suryakumar Yadav said that it has taught him to be humble and add a sense of balance to his life.

"I think the most important thing I have learnt from this sport is how humble you are after achieving something or even after when you are not doing well. That is one thing that I have learned. When you do something on the ground, you have to leave it on the ground and when you go off the field, that is it. This is not your life. It is just part of your life. So you cannot be... When you are doing well, you stay on the top and when you're not doing well, you are underground. That is one thing which I feel you should not do as a sportsman," he added.

Suryakumar Yadav led India in seven T20Is last year during the home T20I series against Australia and an away series against South Africa, winning five matches and losing two.

The three ODIs will be held on August 2, August 4, and August 7.

Both teams will be taking to the field with new head coaches. While legendary all-rounder Sanath Jayasuriya has been named as the interim head coach for Lankan Lions, this will also be the first assignment for former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir as the head coach, succeeding the T20 World Cup-winning coach Rahul Dravid.

India's last tour of Sri Lanka for a bilateral white-ball series came back in July 2021, with Dravid coaching the Shikhar Dhawan-led side. India won the ODI series 2-1, while Sri Lanka secured the T20I series by the same margin.

T20I Squad for Sri Lanka series: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed Siraj.

ODI Squad for Sri Lanka series: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Harshit Rana.

(With ANI Inputs)