Just like Rohit, Surya likes to spend a lot of time with his teammates off the field.
Suryakumar Yadav’s reign as India’s full-time T20I skipper has got off to an impressive start. Under his leadership, the Men in Blue whitewashed Sri Lanka (3-0) in an away series and followed it with the same result against Bangladesh at home.
As Suryakumar is getting ready for his next assignment against South Africa, the dashing batter admitted that he is a big fan of Rohit Sharma's leadership philosophy.
Surya revealed that he followed "Rohit's captaincy route" of spending a lot of time with his teammates off the field to understand their psyche, which ultimately reflects in their on-field performance.
"Winning and losing is part and parcel of sports. Everyone has done hard work. Sometimes you do well and sometimes you don't," Surya said on the eve of the first T20I against South Africa in Durban when asked about India's 0-3 defeat in the recently held home Test series against New Zealand.
"I have learnt from him (Rohit) that in life, balance is important, after doing well, even if you lose, your character should not change. This is one quality sportsman should have," he added.
For Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma is not just a captain but a leader. "A leader is one who decides how his team plays a particular format," he said.
"When I am on the ground, I keep noticing him. How his body language is and how he keeps calm and how he treats his bowlers, how he speaks to everyone on and off the field. I know how he treats his players, what he wants from them.
"That route I have also taken as he has been successful. Obviously, I have put my own masala in it (his own ideas). It's been going smooth," he further remarked.
Surya believes the off-field camaraderie and bonhomie within the team becomes very important to succeed on the field.
"From a leader, you expect how much time one spends with his guys to build that comfort level. I also try that with my boys. Even when I am not playing, I try to hang out with players, have a meal with them, little things done off the field reflect on the on-field performance," the Indian T20I captain said.
Understanding the psyche of players is crucial to get the best out of them, he feels. "You have to understand what's happening around and what's going on in their minds. There needs to be a comfort level as they have different types of skill sets. The freedom to express themselves is very important and I am trying to give them that.
"Whatever is on their mind, I listen carefully and I try and spend a lot of time with them to understand, who can deliver for me under pressure and in crunch situations," Surya said.
While Suryakumar has impressed one and all with his exploits in T20Is, he is yet to leave a mark in the longer formats. He has represented India in only one Test and 37 ODIs so far.
Asked if he harbours hopes of a Test comeback, Surya said: "My Test comeback will happen, when it has to happen. I don't miss any domestic competition be it red ball or white ball."
(With PTI Inputs)