‘It was very harsh’: Suryakumar Yadav on bold call to pick Ishan Kishan over Jitesh Sharma

NEW DELHI: India’s T20 World Cup-winning captain Suryakumar Yadav has revealed that one of the biggest selection calls of the tournament — choosing Ishan Kishan over Jitesh Sharma — was largely driven by instinct rather than pure numbers. The skipper admitted the decision was tough but insisted his gut feeling told him Kishan could be the “X-factor” India needed on the big stage.

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Suryakumar said the call was a delicate balance between data and intuition. “It was completely on gut, little bit on data. It was very harsh on Jitesh Sharma at that time because he was playing with the team for over a year. Had he not been playing, then the story would have been different,” he said in a podcast interview with PTI Videos.




The captain revealed that the turning point came during a direct conversation with Kishan. “I called him and asked, ‘Chhotu, World Cup jitayega?’ He asked, ‘Bharosa karogey?’ I said, ‘Chal kiya.’ And the way he played was amazing,” Suryakumar recalled. “I always knew he could be the X-factor because he has no baggage.”



Kishan justified that faith in style during the tournament, scoring 317 runs in nine matches at a strike rate of over 190 while opening the innings and batting at No. 3. His tally was the fourth-highest in the competition as India lifted the ICC Men's T20 World Cup for the second consecutive time, following their triumph under Rohit Sharma in 2024.

Suryakumar also highlighted Kishan’s determination to fight his way back into the national setup after a difficult phase. “He was going through a bad patch and had been out of the team for a while. But he travelled across India playing practice matches and smaller games just to stay ready,” he said.

Another tactical call that proved decisive was the inclusion of Sanju Samson at the top of the order. According to Suryakumar, Samson’s arrival changed the momentum of India’s campaign. “After Sanju got included, the tide completely changed. It was also tactical because we had too many left-handers at the top and opposition off-spinners were finding it easy.”

Samson responded with match-winning performances, including scores of 89 in both the semifinal and final, eventually earning the Player of the Tournament award.

Reflecting on his own approach, Suryakumar described T20 batting as largely instinctive. “It’s a reaction-driven sport. Around 70 to 75 per cent of batting is reaction and the rest is instinct. On a given day, you just assess what the situation demands and bat accordingly,” he said.


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