Suryakumar Yadav Reflects On 'Special' Bond With Coach Gautam Gambhir From KKR Days Ahead Of IND vs SL Series

Ahead of India’s first match of the tour to Sri Lanka, Suryakumar Yadav shares insights into his relationship with Team India Head Coach Gautam Gambhir and calls it 'special'.

Team India are set to begin their new journey under the coaching of Gautam Gambhir and the new T20Is captain Suryakumar Yadav from July 27 (Saturday) with the first India vs Sri Lanka T20I match. Suryakumar Yadav became the captain of India’s T20I team after Rohit Sharma retired from the T20Is post T20 World Cup 2024 win in West Indies. Ahead of India’s first match of the tour to Sri Lanka, Suryakumar Yadav shared some insights into his relationship with Gautam Gambhir.

Along with Suryakumar Yadav’s first assignment after being handed the captaincy reins of Team India, the India vs Sri Lanka series will also mark Gautam Gambhir’s first coaching assignment for India. He took the reins after Rahul Dravid’s tenure ended with India’s World Cup victory.

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In a video released by the official social media handle of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Suryakumar Yadav opened up on his relationship with head coach Gautam Gambhir ahead of the series against Sri Lanka.

Suryakumar Yadav Discusses Special Connection With Gambhir Since IPL

Suryakumar Yadav reflected on the special nature of his relationship with Gambhir, who he played under at the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

“This relationship is very special. When I joined KKR in 2014, I played under him. It was special because it gave me the opportunity to play for the franchise. It’s like the saying: you take three steps and the other person takes two steps towards you, and you meet somewhere in between. That’s how our relationship was. Even now, it remains as strong as ever,” Suryakumar said in the video released by the BCCI. 

Watch the video here:

Yadav further emphasises that Gambhir understands his work ethic and mindset and expresses excitement about how their relationship will continue to grow.

"But he understands how I work and my mindset during practice sessions. He knows how I approach my work and how he tries to support me as a coach. It's all about the great relationship we have, and I'm very excited to see how it continues to develop," Suryakumar concluded.

Meanwhile, the Men in Blue are set to face Sri Lanka in the T20I opener at the Pallekele International Stadium on Saturday, July 27.