There was a lot of responsibility – Suryakumar Yadav on challenges of playing a home World Cup

Team India humbled New Zealand in the final to lift the T20 World Cup 2026 in Ahmedabad. However, the ride to the promised land wasn’t easy. It took them quite a few bumps to eventually get into fifth gear and they started peaking at the right time. They defeated Zimbabwe, West Indies, England and New Zealand in their last four games, all of which were practically knockout fixtures to lift the hallowed title.

Talking in a video released by the ICC, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav opened up on the entire campaign, highlighting the challenges and how India managed to overcome them all. However, he concluded on a note of promise, stating that despite the nerves the men were willing to go to any extent to win the championship.

SKY said, “I think we had a little bit of roller coaster ride since game one. No one gave us easy. We knew that it's going to be difficult as you play at home, the pressure is more in front of your home crowd. Playing in India, there was a lot of responsibility. And that too, if you have won one edition right one year before.”

He further added, “So it was a special feeling, yes. Everyone was excited for the tournament. But yeah, at the same time, it was a lot of pressure as well. I don't want to run away from the fact that there was no pressure. We had a lot of nerves. There were butterflies in the stomach even though we were playing any team in the tournament. But yeah, it was an exciting journey.”