The perpetually smiling Suryakumar Yadav walks as though captaincy is his de-stress chamber. He laughs aloud on the field, banters with his troops, whizzes around the field, and rarely gets incensed at a mis-field or a dropped catch, except when he is guilty himself. He is India’s captain sunshine, clouds of gloom seldom crinkling his face. He is like the first image of his that google search throws, with a large, playful smile, his hands curled in a celebratory mood. He is what the audience sees, yet he is not what they see too.
Like all good captains, he has remoulded his side in his convivial image. Intense but relaxed, carefree yet not careless, laidback but unlax. It’s fascinating to see how the predominant disposition of its leader transforms the vibes of a team, subconsciously or deliberately. Virat Kohli’s brigade blazed a confrontational edge, like boxers prancing to shower knockout blows on their opponents. He wanted every man of his to be forged in his fire and strutted with the superior air of a born leader. Rohit Sharma ‘s batches displayed a composed authority, an always in-control exterior, extreme demonstrations of rage and joy rare. Rohit displayed empathy but practised Jurgen Kloppian philosophy of being “your teammates’ friend, but not their best friend” too – especially as there were many youngsters. MS Dhoni’s crews were nervously intense, as though his presence overwhelmed, as though they were transfixed by his tactical intelligence. Their mood fluctuated with his. Sometimes moody, merry, angsty and icy, their every movement remote-controlled by Dhoni, especially in his later years.
Suryakumar is one of their own, one with them, one that laughs and banters with them, one that doesn’t thrust his ideas on them. When setting field, he patiently listens, be it Jasprit Bumrah or Shivam Dube, gives his inputs only when he feels the need to, and let them be. Only when over-enthusiastic bowlers prompt for reviews that he snubs their wishes. When batting, he doesn’t chide at his younger partner for playing a reckless shot, or peppers with instructions. He might suggest that he play a particular shot, or point to a relatively unmanned space of the ground to play his strokes. He applauds every boundary of theirs, he soothes them when they play and misses. He is chivalrous in dealing with all opponents and umpires. “He gives us a lot of freedom to try the things we want to, he has always been a guiding force,” Abhishek Sharma had once said.
Suryakumar Yadav of India plays a shot during the 2nd T20I between India and Bangladesh held at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, India on the 9th October 2024. (Sportzpics)
There was an instance when a younger teammate sought his advice. “Chalna hai ke rukhna hai?” Should I hit or defend? He replied: “Go with whatever your mind says. Don’t change your style because it’s this style only which has made who you are.”
His greatest influence, he has revealed several times, has been Rohit. He formed his ideals watching him in Mumbai, Mumbai Indians and the national team, their shared experience a decade-long. “I know how he [Rohit Sharma] treats the players, what he wants from them. So that route I have also taken because he’s been very successful. When I am on the ground, I keep noticing how his body language is, how calm he is under pressure situations, how he talks to the bowlers, how he treats everyone on the field and off the field,” he once said.
But Rohit could be snappy, had both wacky and dry humour, and at times even resorted to sarcasm. Suryakumar is gentler, and often slapstick. But he, like Rohit, believes in the power of personal relationships, in spending time with them, understanding them and shredding away their insecurities. “When I am not on the ground, I try to spend time with my team-mates, have a meal with them, and travel together. These are the small things which reflect on the ground,” Suryakumar had once said. During the IPL, he was constantly in touch with Jitesh Sharma, who was out of the national side. He kept chatting with Sanju Samson, with uncertainty always swirling around his spot in the side, and motivated him during a tough time in the last IPL. Even during the off-season, he keeps messaging or calling the support staff and masseur. He ensures that insecurity doesn’t creep into those outside the eleven, or on the fringes of the squad. He keeps the atmosphere in the dressing room light.
Suryakumar Yadav of India during the first T20i match between India and Bangladesh held at Shrimant Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Stadium, Gwalior, India on the 6th October 2024. (Sportzpics)
He is selfless too. During last year’s tour to South Africa, Tilak Varma asked if he could bat in the top-order. The captain readily sacrificed his No 3 spot for him. Team insiders say he is exemplary in communicating with his teammates, in terms of what he expects from them. His ideas are clear and simple. Tactics are uncomplicated; unlike his batting, there are not too many strokes of inventiveness. Funky fields are not for him. Egalitarianism sweeps the change room. Unlike an old-style captain, who ensconced on a throne and commanded his subjects, he never asks anyone to do anything he would not do himself.
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But it is not as though he nuanced the art of captaincy spontaneously, but rather yoked by setbacks. He gleaned from the experience of his disastrous captaincy of the Mumbai Ranji side in the 2019-20 season. The reason for his failure, reportedly, was that he was too stubborn. Four year later, he has imbibed the virtue of flexibility and become a captain the team loves. It is a happy team, and a happy team produces striking success—18 wins in 23 games. The vibes on the field captures the bond they have–bantering, laughing, and pranking. The conductor of this orchestra of joy is Suryakumar, India’s Captain Sunshine.
WITH inputs from Devendra Pandey
