Suryakumar Yadav had a middling record for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). But he had something special. At least that was what the then-captain Gautam Gambhir thought. He was named KKR’s vice-captain for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2015 season as well.
Gambhir’s hand behind Suryakumar Yadav’s success
But things didn’t go that well. That year or the next two. So, KKR moved forward without him. Suryakumar then exploded at the Mumbai Indians (MI). Under Rohit Sharma, he became the player we see today. From 2018 to 2025, only three players scored more runs than him in the IPL. None of them were even close to his strike rate of 152.07.
It was his success at MI that earned him an India cap in all formats. One can say that it was Rohit who gave Suryakumar his career, but Gambhir was the one who made it. After emerging triumphant in the Asia Cup, the India T20I captain admitted that he learnt several tricks of the trade from Gambhir during his KKR days.
“My relationship with Gauti Bhai is that of a younger and older brother. We have played together a lot at the Kolkata Knight Riders. We know each other very closely. I learned so many things from him. I have played under Rohit, but I have learned some tricks of the trade from him playing for KKR. He has been there and felt everything, so he knows how things go in a player’s mind. How the preparations are to be done for these tournaments, and how to push the player forward and protect them as well,” Suryakumar told RevSportz.
Guiding light as India captain
Surya shared how, during tough moments, he often leans upon Gambhir’s insights. Whether it be about which bowler to bring on or changes in the field, he just blindly does what his old teammate and now coach suggests.
“So, whenever I look at the dugout, and he is there, he has something for me because the game looks completely different from the outside. There are so many things on my mind when I am on the ground – about field placement, who to bowl, et cetera – so after every one or two overs, I look at him and whatever he signals, I carry it out without thinking. That is the level of trust we have in each other,” he added on the matter.
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