The aggressive, risk-over-regret batting template set by Rohit Sharma at the 2023 World Cup is set to have far-reaching effects in Indian cricket. His 597 runs at a strike-rate of 126 ft. record-breaking 31 sixes unfortunately ended up on the runners-up side but if you ask Suryakumar Yadav, the batters next in line are looking to “try and replicate the same thing” going forward. After all, an opportunity to make a difference with Rohit’s batting disposition is only about six months away, when another World Cup awaits.
“What he’s done in the World Cup is one thing which will set an example,” Suryakumar, India’s stand-in T20I captain, said of Rohit on the eve of the first match in Visakhapatnam.
“It was a completely different Rohit Sharma that you saw. I mean, he literally walked the talk; what we spoke about in the team meetings, he did the same thing on the ground. We are very proud of him. As a leader he led by example and we’ll try and replicate the same thing.”
Suryakumar, who will be leading India for the first time, cut a relaxed figure in his maiden media interaction in that capacity. It wasn’t too different from how his India ODI and Mumbai Indians skipper handles press conferences.
“I am also young yaar!” Suryakumar interjected, with a smile, when he was asked about captaining the ‘young’ guys in the side.
Let’s settle for the word “younger” but one of Suryakumar’s first messages to the squad as captain was about being “selfless” and always putting the team first, much like Rohit did for all of the World Cup campaign.
“What I told them [squad] when I met them in the afternoon today was let’s be very selfless when we go into the field,” Suryakumar said. “Because I’m a guy who doesn’t think too much about the personal milestones and instead thinks of the team’s goal. And I’ve always told them that you have to keep the team first and then whatever comes after that, you can take your call. And I’ve played with them a lot of times during the IPL and a few India games as well, so they know how I function. And it wasn’t that difficult and we are really excited to go about in the series.”
While Rohit cools his heels off after a gruelling World Cup campaign, Suryakumar is in Visakhapatnam to take on Australia in a five-match T20I series. And it must not help that it’s the same team to which India lost the World Cup only four nights ago. “Difficult” and “disappointing” is how Suryakumar describes the aftermath of that big loss in Ahmedabad.
“It is difficult. It will take time. I mean it can’t be that you get up the next morning and you forget everything that happened,” he said. “It was a long tournament and obviously we would have loved to win but then as you say, when you get up in the morning, there’s always sunrise again, there’s light at the end of the tunnel. You have to forget it. Move on. It’s a fresh team. New boys, great energy, so we are really looking forward to this T20 series.
As the captain of India now, Suryakumar is taking solace in carrying forward the brand of cricket that India played through the World Cup, the epitome of which was Rohit Sharma.
“I mean, it is obviously a little disappointing. But at the end, when you look back at the journey, it was a really great campaign [for] each and every member – not only the players but also the support staff.
“All of India and all our families were very proud of the way each and everyone displayed their talent on the ground. That was the positive, the brand of cricket which we played throughout the tournament, and we can be very proud of that.”
There’s a new World Cup to be won next year. There will be a lot of new faces in the squad to try and make that happen. But what is likely to endure is the Rohit Sharma batting template.
