Gautam Gambhir, the head coach of the Indian squad, lavished praise on T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav's ability to relate to players, claiming that the skipper has greatly eased his workload as a coach in the game's shortest format.  

During India's T20 World Cup campaign, Gambhir was addressing the media and stressing the influence Suryakumar's leadership abilities have had on the current squad.

Suryakumar's batting prowess, experience, and signature 360-degree range have all been discussed enough, according to Gambhir, but what really makes him stand out is his soothing presence in the dressing room.

"Surya has made my life a lot easier in this format. I think he is a phenomenal leader of men—not by what he does on the field, not by the type of batter he is, not by the kind of shots that he plays. All that you can keep aside. But the way he relates to players, the way he talks to players, and how relaxed he is on the field," Gambhir said on Star Sports.

"As a coach, you know you can think about other things because he is going to keep the atmosphere pretty calm. Surya the player, I can keep aside, but Surya the leader has ticked every box. It's a great thing when you have someone like him leading the country because his heart is in the right place, and he takes the right decisions for the team,” he added.

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Gambhir’s words came after Suryakumar Yadav played what many think was his best-ever knock in T20Is, as his 84* helped India survive a huge scare against the USA in their T20 World Cup 2026 opening game in Mumbai on February 7.

India was in a spot of bother at 77 for 6 in the 13th over after the USA won the toss and opted to field. Suryakumar Yadav first consolidated and then blasted off, scoring 84* in 49 balls with 10 fours and 4 sixes and taking India to 161/9.

The USA were eventually restricted to 132 for 8 in their 20 overs as India survived a wobbly opening-day encounter. Mohammed Siraj picked three wickets, while Arshdeep Singh and Axar Patel took two wickets.

India will next play Namibia in Group A in Delhi on February 12.