Suryakumar Yadav Reveals Gautam Gambhir's Crucial Mid-Innings Advice That Saved India Against USA
India captain Suryakumar Yadav has revealed the crucial tactical advice provided by Head Coach Gautam Gambhir that helped steer the team out of a major crisis during their T20 World Cup opener against the USA. After the Men in Blue collapsed to 77 for 6 at the Wankhede Stadium, Suryakumar anchored the innings with a match-winning 84 off 49 balls.
Suryakumar confirmed that he initially assessed the tricky Wankhede surface as a 140-run wicket, not the usual 180-190 belter. This assessment was reinforced by Gambhir during a mid-innings break. The coach's instruction was simple: ensure one batter stays until the end, trusting that the runs could be covered later. This strategy allowed Suryakumar, who draws heavily on his experience playing on challenging Mumbai maidans pitches, to manage the risk and drag India to a competitive total of 161 for 9, ultimately securing a 29-run victory.
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“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 [Gautam Gambhir - the head coach] bhai told me the same thing during the break after the 14 overs.”
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IPL 2025 Match Winners | Player Rankings
Best match-winning batting specialists in IPL 2025 (calculated as Not Out % × Average, batters/all-rounders/wicketkeepers only)
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| #1 | Mumbai Indians | 20.4 score |
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IPL Career Leading Wicket Takers Leaders | Bowling Rankings Led by Yuzvendra Chahal (221 wickets) |
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“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 [Gautam Gambhir - the head coach] bhai told me the same thing during the break after the 14 overs.”
Suryakumar Yadav, India Captain
- Player
- Suryakumar Yadav
- Specialization
- Batter
- Team
- MI
- Analyze
- Analyze Performance
- Team
- Team Performance