India captain Suryakumar Yadav emphasised the importance of mental resilience, self-belief and team bonding after leading the Men in Blue to a historic victory in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.
India defeated New Zealand by 96 runs at the Narendra Modi Stadium, securing their third T20 World Cup title and becoming the first team to successfully defend the championship.
Surya highlights importance of handling failure
Speaking during the post-match press conference, Suryakumar reflected on the lessons he had learned from his own career and urged players to accept failure as an inevitable part of sport.
“It’s really important to understand that you will fail more times than you succeed in sports,” he said.
The captain revealed that he himself experienced a difficult phase in 2025, when he went over 400 days without scoring a half-century for India.
“But that’s what I told the boys. Ups and downs will definitely keep coming in sport,” he added.
Being true to oneself
Suryakumar also stressed the importance of staying authentic and respecting the game.
“You have to respect the game and spend time with good people around you. Be true to yourself. You can’t cheat the man in the mirror when you wake up or go to sleep,” he said.
According to the skipper, strong character and discipline off the field are just as important as technical ability on it.
Building trust within the team
The captain highlighted that a key element behind India’s success was understanding teammates’ personalities and building strong relationships within the squad.
“Everyone is different. They bring different skills to the table. You need to speak to them, understand their temperament and strengths,” he explained.
Suryakumar said the team had worked on strengthening this understanding over the past one-and-a-half to two years, creating a supportive environment where players could express themselves freely.
Staying true to playing style
The Indian skipper also reminded players that while representing the country brings immense pressure and emotion, they should not abandon the playing style that earned them success at domestic and franchise levels.
“The jersey colour changes and brings a lot of emotion. But what gave them success earlier — they shouldn’t run away from it,” he said.
India’s emphatic victory in the final, powered by strong performances from Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Jasprit Bumrah, reflected the team’s balance of skill, confidence and unity under Suryakumar’s leadership.