SKY Credits Rohit Sharma for His Leadership Growth
Suryakumar Yadav praised Rohit Sharma as his biggest influence and shared insights on captaincy ahead of India’s Asia Cup 2025 opener.
India’s T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav has hailed modern-day great Rohit Sharma as the ultimate role model, admitting that the ODI captain has been a big influence on his journey as a cricketer.
Yadav said that he has drawn inspiration from Rohit and learned valuable lessons while playing under his leadership for over seven years in franchise and international cricket.
The India team will begin their Asia Cup 2025 campaign against the UAE on Wednesday, September 10, at the Dubai International Stadium. This will be Yadav’s first major assignment as captain after he took over the reins from Rohit Sharma last year.
When asked by Sony Sports Network to describe his team in three words ahead of the opener, Yadav replied, “Entertainment, entertainment, entertainment.”
Speaking about leading India in a major tournament for the first time, he said, “Lot of nerves, good responsibility obviously, but with such an amazing group around, with so much talent, I think it’s going to be a good fun.”
The skipper further reflected on how Rohit shaped his captaincy style over the years. Yadav said, “See, I’ve played with Rohit Bhai for about 8 years or 7-8 years in franchise cricket and when he led for India in this format, I was there for about 3-4 years. “So, I’ve been learning some tricks and tricks from him and obviously, he’s been a role model as a leader for India, so yeah, learned a lot from him.”
Asked about his own approach to captaincy, Yadav described himself as instinctive and calm, stressing the importance of positivity on the field. “Sky’s style is very instinctive on the field and always have a nice wide smile on the face, irrespective of what happens, if you’re having a good time or things are not going your way, just relax, have a smile and enjoy.”
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India will face arch-rivals Pakistan on September 14 at the Dubai International Stadium in one of the most anticipated fixtures of the Asia Cup. “I know there’s a lot of things going around between the two teams and nations, but when we take the field, the aggression and everything remains the same.”
Finally, Yadav underlined the importance of unity within the squad, regardless of the results. “It’s not only throughout the Asia Cup, I mean even going forward, I want them to be together irrespective of what happens. Sometimes what happens when we win, we are on top of the moon and we don’t win the game, we want to sit back, relax, have their own time, but irrespective of what happens, however the ship is sailing, stick together.”
India will look to begin their Asia Cup campaign on a strong note under their new leader, with Yadav eager to carry forward the legacy of Rohit Sharma’s leadership.
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Last Updated on September 9, 2025
