"Whatever he signals, I carry it out without thinking": T20I skipper Suryakumar on his equation with head coach Gambhir

Dubai [UAE], September 29 (ANI): Following his side's Asia Cup title win after a thrilling title clash against arch-rivals Pakistan, Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav spoke on his relationship with head coach Gautam Gambhir, which goes way back to his days with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), saying that "whatever he (Gambhir) signals, he carries it out without thinking", highlighting the massive level of trust between them.

After the ICC Champions Trophy, head coach Gambhir added another trophy to his cabinet as a mature knock of 69* from Tilak Varma helped India lift themselves from 20/3 to a successful run-chase of 147 against Pakistan in the title clash on Sunday. The outing was extremely special for both Suryakumar and Gambhir, whose relationship goes back to 'Mr 360' batter's days with KKR in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Playing his first major tournament as a captain with Gambhir by his side, Surya-led India steered themselves to the title with a commendable team effort, which saw everyone step up in one game or the other.

Speaking to Boria Majumdar at Revsportz, Suryakumar admitted sharing a brother-like relationship with Gambhir, having played a lot for KKR together. Suryakumar played 54 matches for KKR from 2014 to 2017, when he was a youngster eyeing a spot in Team India. He scored 608 runs in 41 innings at an average of 22.52 and a strike rate of over 131, with one half-century. Gambhir was one of Suryakumar's biggest early support systems, and it was evident in the fact that the batter was once even the vice-captain of KKR. Surya won one IPL title with KKR in the 2014 season.

Speaking to Boria, Suryakumar admitted to learning "tricks of the trade" from Gambhir during KKR days.

"My relationship with Gauti Bhai (Gautam Gambhir) is that of a younger and older brother. We have played together a lot at Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). We know each other very closely. I learned so many things from him. I have played under Rohit (Sharma), but I have learned some tricks of the trade from him playing for KKR. He has been there, felt everything, so he knows how things go in a player's mind. How the preparations are to be done for these tournaments, and how to push the player forward and protect them as well," said the skipper.

"So, whenever I look at the dugout, and he is there, he has something for me because the game looks completely different from outside. There are so many things on my mind when I am on the ground - about field placement, who to bowl et cetera, so after every one or two overs, I look at him and whatever he signals, I carry it out without thinking. That is the level of trust we have in each other," he added.

Suryakumar said that while Team India did miss their star all-rounder Hardik Pandya in the final, it was the all-rounder himself who suggested them to go with Shivam Dube, a pace bowling all-rounder himself. The move paid off as Dube bowled a useful spell of 0/23 in three overs and had a crucial stand with Tilak, scoring 33 in 22 balls, with two fours and two sixes.

"It worked out so well, and he (Shivam) did not even look like he was under much pressure. Made it look effortless," he concluded.

Coming to the match, India won the toss and elected to field first. An 84-run stand between Sahidzada Farhan (57 in 38 balls, with four boundaries and three sixes) and Fakhar Zaman (46 in 35 balls, with two fours and two sixes) gave Pakistan the headstart they needed. However, thanks to the magic of spinners Kuldeep Yadav (4/30) and Varun Chakravarthy (2/30) in the middle overs, Pakistan faced a collapse from 113/1 in 12.4 overs to 146 all out in 19.1 overs, with Bumrah (2/25) also getting the final two wickets.

During the run-chase, India sank to 20/3 due to an initial burst from Faheem Ashraf (3/29). However, Tilak Varma (69* in 53 balls, with three fours and four sixes), stitched a 57-run stand with Sanju Samson (24 in 21 balls, with two fours and a six) to bring India back into the game. Shivam Dube (33 in 22 balls, with two fours and two sixes) delivered some carnage with Tilak, solidifying India's hold on the game despite some occasional brilliance from Pakistan. In the end, it was Rinku Singh, who was featuring in his first Asia Cup match, who got the chance to hit the winning runs on the first ball. Tilak walked away with the 'Player of the Match' honours, and India secured their second T20I Asia Cup title and overall ninth, including ODI editions. (ANI)

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