India head coach Gautam Gambhir has thrown his full support behind T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav despite the batter’s ongoing struggles with form, making it clear that temporary failures don’t worry. him. Under Suryakumar’s leadership, India lifted the Asia Cup in the UAE last month, but his personal returns with the bat were disappointing — just 72 runs in seven innings. Speaking on JioHotstar, Gambhir explained that such inconsistencies are natural when a team commits to an aggressive approach. “Honestly, Surya’s batting form doesn’t concern me because we have committed to an ultra-aggressive template in our dressing room. When you embrace this philosophy, failures are inevitable,” he said.
“It would be easy for Surya to score 40 runs off 30 balls and avoid criticism, but we have collectively decided that it’s acceptable to fail while pursuing this approach,” he added. While Suryakumar struggled, young talents like Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma impressed with his fearless stroke play. But Gambhir made it clear that his focus isn’t on individual performances. “Currently, Abhishek Sharma is in good form and has maintained it throughout the Asia Cup. When Surya finds his rhythm, he will shoulder the responsibility accordingly. In T20 cricket, our The focus isn’t on individual runs but on the brand of cricket we want to play. With our aggressive style, batters may fail more often, but impact ultimately matters more than mere runs,” he said. The India head coach also opened up about his partnership with Suryakumar and the team culture they are building together. “Surya is a great human being, and good humans make good leaders. While he speaks highly of me, my role is simply to advise him fairly based on my reading of the game. Ultimately, this is his team,” Gambhir said. He praised Suryakumar’s leadership style, calling it a perfect fit for India’s fearless T20 vision. “His free-spirited character perfectly matches T20 cricket’s essence — it’s about freedom and expression. Your off-field personality reflects on the field and in the dressing room, and Surya has maintained this atmosphere brilliantly over the past 1.5 years.” Gambhir revealed that from his very first chat with Suryakumar, both agreed that fear of failure should never enter the dressing room. “From our first conversation, we agreed: we will not fear losing. I don’t aim to be the most successful coach; I want us to be the most fearless team,” he said. He also reminded his players that mistakes are part of the game, even on the biggest stages. “In big games like the Asia Cup final, I told the players it’s okay to drop a catch, play a bad shot, or bowl a poor delivery. Human beings make mistakes. Only the opinions of those in the dressing room matter,” he said. “Surya and I consistently agree: we will never fear mistakes. The bigger the game, the more fearless and aggressive we must be. A conservative approach only gives the opposition an advantage. With the talent we have, if we play fearlessly, we will be fine,” Gambhir concluded. India went on to beat Pakistan in the final to claim the Asia Cup title — a fitting reward for a team built on freedom, trust, and fearless cricket.
