Suryakumar Yadav opens up on India T20I snub, captaincy loss and thoughts of retirement
Suryakumar Yadav reveals how India T20I snub and loss of captaincy left him shocked and made him contemplate retirement before finding his motivation again.
Suryakumar Yadav opens up on tough phase after India snub. (Photo: X)
Suryakumar Yadav went through a difficult phase after he was left out of the Indian T20I team and also lost the captaincy. The same player who had led India to the T20 World Cup title at home suddenly found himself out of the side. The development left him shocked, and he even contemplated retiring from the game.
Suryakumar spent nearly 40-50 days at home with little to do and found himself constantly thinking about his future in cricket.
"There are moments in life when God tests your mettle. For 40-50 days, I was at home, doing nothing. I was in complete shock and contemplating whether I should continue playing or stop. What is the way forward? A lot of things were going on in my mind," Suryakumar told Aakash Chopra on his YouTube channel.
Wife's advice helped Suryakumar find his passion again
It was his wife who helped him come out of that difficult phase. She reminded him why he had started playing cricket in the first place and encouraged him to rediscover that passion.
"One day, my wife said, just think about why you started playing this game because you were mad, you had passion. She said, then reignite that passion," he recalled.
However, Suryakumar still felt uncertain about what lay ahead.
"I said, I have the passion, but then what is the road forward? I can't see anything. It's all foggy," he said.
Wife reminds Surya of his achievements
His wife then asked him to look back at everything he had achieved in a relatively short period.
"Then she put it in another way, 'Just think about what has happened with you in the last five years. People play for 10-15-20-25 years and they don't get to achieve what you have in the last five years. You played five World Cups, twice won ICC Player of the Year award in T20Is, were No. 1 ranked batter, won 2024 T20 World Cup, took that catch that changed your life, won World Cup in India. People take years to achieve this and you ended up doing that in five years. So be grateful,'" Suryakumar said.
Suryakumar finds motivation through training
Even after that conversation, Suryakumar needed more motivation to get back on track.
"I said, 'Yeah, I am grateful, but what next?' She then said, start going to the gym, play tennis-ball cricket, spend time with friends and slowly you will find that drive. Two-three months later, the drive returned. Thought I will play for my daughter now," he said.
Suryakumar returns to training with positive mindset
Suryakumar has now returned to full training and is batting well again. He remains hopeful about his future with the Indian team.
"I have started training, started batting, back in full flow like I used to. Now, nobody knows what's in store. If they (selectors) have made the call right now, it can change later. You never know. You have to be optimistic," Suryakumar said.
Suryakumar also made it clear that his focus remains on T20 cricket and that he does not want to discuss a return to ODI cricket.
"I want to play cricket. I know how to play this format. I don't want to talk about ODIs because I've tried a lot and didn't crack it. I have played a lot of cricket in the past 4-5 years and continue playing this format," he said.
With several years potentially still left in his career, Suryakumar wants to make the most of his time on the field and continue playing with the same passion.
"After four years, I will relax anyway. Whatever time is left, I will continue playing with the same passion as I have. That love, drive, focus, discipline is back and I am on track."
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