'Gauti bhai told me...': Suryakumar Yadav reveals how Gambhir's message brought out his special knock vs USA

Captain Suryakumar Yadav was the architect of India's 29-run win over USA in their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign opener at the Wankhede stadium on January 7. When the chips were down, it was Suryakumar who stood tall and steered India from a precarious 77/6 to a competitive 161/9. Mohammed Siraj did the rest with his three-fer to limit USA to 132/8.

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Gautam Gambhir told me, just try and bat till the end: Suryakumar Yadav

After the match, Suryakumar talked about his knock and head coach Gautam Gambhir's message which helped him produced of the best innings of his career.

"See, I knew definitely someday it was going to come. Last whole year, I was trying to bat in such a way, hold the innings for the team, but it wasn't happening. But then I left it alone after I played the last series of last year against South Africa. Packed my kit bag, spent a lot of time with family for two weeks. Then started in the new year and when we went to Nagpur, it was a different feeling altogether. (plans when the team were 77/6) I always felt that there was a need for a batter to bat till the end. I never felt that it was a 180-190 wicket. I felt it was a 140 wicket. But then Gauti bhai told me the same thing during the break after the 14 overs. He told me, just try and bat till the end, you can cover it any time. And also, most important thing, I have played a lot of my cricket in Bombay, this wicket and also maidans of Mumbai cricket. So I know how to bat on similar kind of wickets," Suryakumar said at the post-match presentation.

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We cannot brush everything under the carpet: Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar also offered a candid assessment of India's batting. The 35-year-old acknowledged that while the win was a positive start to their title defense, the batting unit’s overall showing left much to be desired. He didn’t hesitate to point out that the lineup needed to show more tactical maturity, stating that they could have been "smarter and better" in their approach. His comments underscored a desire for more discipline, particularly after a mid-innings collapse nearly derailed the team's efforts before his own unbeaten 84 ultimately saved the day.

"We cannot brush everything under the carpet, we need to bat much better. After winning also, you get to learn a lot of things. Could have batted better and smarter," Suryakumar, who was adjudged the Player of the Match, added.