Ishan Kishan made 317 runs in 9 games with three fifties and strike rate of 193.29.
He also stated that it was a sad decision to take because it meant that Jitesh Sharma, who had been with the T20I team for nearly a year, had to be left out.
"It was completely on gut, a little bit on data. It (the decision) was very harsh on Jitesh Sharma at that time because he had been playing with the team for over a year. And he was playing; had he not been playing, then the story would have been different," Suryakumar Yadav told PTI.
India won the T20 World Cup 2026 on March 8, and Suryakumar Yadav revealed what led to the team management's pick of Ishan Kishan over Jitesh Sharma.
"I was also very sad when we had to pick Ishan over Jitesh. But we needed an opener who could fire at the top, so someone had to miss out,” Surya added.
He revealed how Kishan came into the squad: Suryakumar called the 27-year-old and asked, "Chhotu, World Cup jitayega?" (Will you get us the World Cup?). Kishan responded, "Bharosa karoge?" (Do you trust me?), to which Suryakumar said, "Chal kiya" (Done). And the way he played was amazing ... I always knew that he could be the X-factor because he has no baggage.”
He stated that Kishan was going through a hard period after being out of the team for a long time. To stay in the game, he traveled throughout India and played minor matches, including practice games, to keep himself in contention.
Kishan didn't disappoint his skipper. In nine matches, he scored 317 runs with a strike rate of more than 190 while batting in the opening and number three positions. His aggregate was the fourth highest in this year's World Cup, marking the first time a country has won two consecutive championships.
Suryakumar Yadav also talked about the decision to include Sanju Samson at the top of the Indian batting order. Samson hammered scores of 97*, 89, and 89 in the last three knockout games for India.
"...after Sanju Samson got included in the side, I think the tide completely changed. And it was a little bit of a tactical decision as well because two left-handers, actually three left-handers, were batting at the top. So, it was getting very easy for the opposition to bowl their off-spinners, sometimes part-timers as well. I think it was a perfect and timely inclusion of Sanju, and then the way he played, I think it was due for him as well," Surya added.
Suryakumar said Samson was working hard behind the scenes, and not many had an idea as to what he was going through.
"But then the way he played throughout the campaign, becoming the player of the tournament, I think it was amazing. He is a great talent, and most importantly, he is a great human being. If you are a great human being, you are a good man, as I always say, everywhere good things happen to good people. I think the best thing that happened to him was when he started playing this World Cup," he said.
(PTI inputs)