‘Ticked every box’: Gautam Gambhir’s bold verdict on Suryakumar Yadav’s captaincy

NEW DELHI: India head coach Gautam Gambhir has heaped glowing praise on T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav, saying the batter’s calm leadership has eased the pressure on him during the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026.

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In a video clip shared by Star Sports, Gambhir highlighted how Suryakumar’s approach to man-management has transformed the dressing-room atmosphere. “Surya has made my life a lot easier in this format. He is a phenomenal leader of men,” Gambhir said, stressing that the captain’s impact goes far beyond his batting.




The former India opener emphasised that Suryakumar’s biggest strength lies in how he connects with teammates. “Not by what he does on the field, not by how he is as a batsman… but the way he relates to the players, the way he talks to players, the way he spends time with players,” Gambhir explained, adding that the skipper’s relaxed presence ensures a calm environment that “any coach can dream of.”

India began their campaign with a win over USA, where Suryakumar led from the front with a match-winning 84 off 49 balls after an early top-order collapse. The performance reinforced Gambhir’s belief that the 35-year-old thrives under pressure.



“For me, I think Surya the player I can keep him aside but Surya the leader, for me I think he has ticked every box. He is just a phenomenal leader…,” Gambhir said. “It’s a great thing when you have someone like him leading the country because his heart is in the right place and he takes the right decision especially when things are under pressure.”

India will now look to build momentum when they face Namibia in their next match on Thursday.


Get the latest ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 updates, including the full schedule, teams, live scores, points table, and key series stats such as top run-scorers and wicket-takers.