Team India completely beat Sri Lanka 3-0 in a T20 series on Tuesday. This victory marks the beginning of a new era with the new head coach, Gautam Gambhir. The team, led by Suryakumar Yadav, won the final match in Pallekele through a Super Over. After winning the series, Suryakumar shared that since the start of the T20 World Cup, the players have been encouraged to sit together as a team, rather than in smaller groups.
“We don’t just sit together as a team for fun when we win a game or a series. This practice began during the World Cup, where we would sit together regardless of the game’s outcome or performance. We decided not to sit in groups of 2 or 3 people, but always as a team. This happened during this series as well. This helps improve the bonding between the players and shows on the field. It also strengthens our friendship and ability to support each other as team members,” Suryakumar explained to Sony Sports Network.
After hearing Suryakumar’s statement, ex-Indian cricket players Ajay Jadeja and Ashish Nehra expressed some surprise over the captain’s comment. Jadeja emphasized that this kind of ‘team bonding’ should naturally occur within a team setting and not be something that is forced.
“This is what you would normally expect in a team sport. I’m a bit surprised that players are still discussing this nowadays, and it seems to be a new rule in the team that players shouldn’t sit in small groups. I’m not sure, didn’t everyone used to sit together in earlier teams? But the captain did say he introduced this change, even though it’s not really new,” Jadeja shared with Sony Sports.
Nehra agreed with Jadeja’s feelings and wondered why the management didn’t begin the process sooner.
“Didn’t he mention that this transformation took place during the World Cup? That was just a month ago. I’m not questioning him, but I’m quite surprised that this has only started now,” Nehra asked.
Following their victory in the T20I series, India will now face Sri Lanka in a three-match ODI series.
