A leadership transition at the summit of world cricket can often feel like a change of weather which is sudden, unsettling and full of unknowns.
But when Suryakumar Yadav first walked out for the toss as captain of a freshly crowned World Cup side, the shift felt more like a gentle change of seasons.
It was seamless, natural and reassuringly familiar.
Taking over from the immensely popular Rohit Sharma in 2024 was never going to be easy, yet Suryakumar made the handover appear almost effortless.
India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate believes the elegance with which Suryakumar embraced the role has been as impressive as any of his 360-degree strokes, saying the Mumbai batter never altered his personality or approach despite inheriting one of the most demanding jobs in the sport.Â
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“He’s sort of built a rapport with his team in 18 months and I’ll never forget that he took over the World Championship side, which is extremely hard to do,”Ten Doeschate said.
“Like I said earlier, the most pleasing or admirable thing for me has been how he hasn’t changed his style for the 18 months. He’s had some tough times with runs and no pressure put on him, but one thing that’s been consistent is how he’s addressed the group, the mood he’s created in the camp at all times.”Â
According to the former Netherlands international, Suryakumar’s greatest strength has been emotional evenness.
He has the innate ability to remain the same man whether he walks in after a duck or a match-winning blitz.
“Whether he scores zero or a match-winning 82 like that, I don’t know, he absolutely won’t change and that’s been almost therapeutic for the group to have that consistency,”he said.
“His leadership has been high, high class in the last 18 months.
