India’s current T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav has revealed a rare regret in his otherwise inspiring journey. Despite spending years on the domestic circuit and establishing himself as one of the most inventive white-ball batters of his generation, he never got the chance to play under the legendary MS Dhoni’s leadership for India.
Suryakumar, who recently guided India to an unbeaten Asia Cup 2025 triumph in Dubai, opened up on the influence of the three skippers he has crossed paths with in his international career. Speaking at the JITO Connect 2025 event, he admitted Dhoni was a figure he always tried to learn from, even if only from the opposite end of the pitch.
“Always wanted opportunity with MS Dhoni”
The Mumbai batter, who made his India debut in 2021 under Virat Kohli’s captaincy against England, said he often observed Dhoni’s composure whenever they faced off in the IPL.
“Firstly, I always wanted to get an opportunity when he was the captain of India. But I never got it. I saw him behind the stumps whenever I played against him. He has been very cool. One thing that I have learned from him when I played against him is to stay relaxed in all pressure situations, he looks around the game, sees around what is happening and then takes a call,” Suryakumar said.
It was Kohli who gave Suryakumar his international break, a moment he had been waiting for since making his domestic debut for Mumbai way back in 2010. His debut match against England at Ahmedabad’s Motera Stadium did not see him bat, but within weeks he announced himself with his trademark unorthodox strokeplay. In the very first delivery he faced, he smacked Jofra Archer for a whopping six in his trademark Surya fashion.
Learning from Kohli and Rohit
Suryakumar credited Kohli’s intensity as a major influence in shaping his early international days. SKY accepted that Kohli is different character.
“I think I made my debut under Virat bhai as captain. I think Virat Bhai is a very hard task master. He pushes your limits, and he wants the best. I mean, all the captains want the best from all the players, but he was full of energy on the field and off the field as well. He was a bit different,” he added.
His bond with Rohit Sharma, however, has been built over years at both Mumbai Indians and the national team. Under Rohit’s watch, Suryakumar famously took the match-winning catch in the T20 World Cup 2024 final against South Africa in Barbados. Also, Suryakumar’s only Test appearance and handful of ODI matches also came under Rohit, who has always likened Suryakumar as a match-winner. The skipper’s easygoing nature and accessibility, he said, was another quality that stood out.
“Then Rohit bhai, under whom I played a lot of cricket for the IPL franchise and India. He is someone who gets everyone comfortable around them, an inspiration to all youngsters. His door was open 24/7 for everyone. That’s a different quality which I learnt from him and also from the other captains,” Suryakumar said.
