In his first interview since lifting the trophy, India captain Suryakumar Yadav speaks to The Indian Express about the 18-month plan to build a new culture from scratch and the tough conversations he had to have with his players in order to get the best out of them during the high-stakes knockout matches.
Suryakumar Yadav: Yes. When I was given the opportunity, I said post-match that Jay Shah sir, Rohit (Sharma) bhai, Gauti bhai (Gautam Gambhir) and the selectors gave me the responsibility to lead the team. I didn’t know if I would become captain after Rohit retiring — I came to know about it suddenly. But I told myself: if I win the World Cup as a player, and now as a captain, it will be even bigger. I will get better motivation in life. Every day you don’t get the opportunity to lead India.