[Watch] Suryakumar Yadav obliges to pilot's request for a selfie after landing in Mumbai following T20I series victory in South Africa
India's T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav posed with pilots on his way to Mumbai from Johannesburg after leading the Men in Blue to a hat-trick of series wins. India, who recently won the T20I series 3-1 against South Africa, also won the previous two series by 2-1 margins against Sri Lanka (away) and Bangladesh (home).
The 34-year-old was appointed skipper after Rohit Sharma retired from T20Is following India's 2024 T20 World Cup glory.
In a video shared by one of the pilots on Instagram, the crew offered snacks to Suryakumar along with a letter of gratification and request. The pilot thanked the batter for his game-changing catch in the 2024 T20 World Cup final against the Proteas as India won an ICC event after 11 years. He also requested Suryakumar for a photo to which the skipper obliged.
Watch the clip below:
“It gives a big boost if you are winning any ICC tournament” – Suryakumar Yadav reacts to hat-trick of series wins in T20Is
Suryakumar Yadav was impressed with the Men in Blue’s progress as they won four series on a trot, including a 4-1 victory in Zimbabwe, following the 2024 T20 World Cup.
He said (via Cricbuzz):
“It gives a big boost if you are winning any ICC tournament, winning from where we won. It was difficult to sum up what goes through our minds when we won there. It is very challenging when we tour South Africa, to come and win here, this is a special win and will stay with me forever.”
Suryakumar credited the VVS Laxman-led coaching staff for allowing the players to play their natural or aggressive cricket throughout the South Africa series.
“They were sitting and enjoying the show since the first day, they spoke to the boys and said whatever you want, you do, we will sit and enjoy. Even today, they said if you want to bat first and put runs on the board, do it,” he added.
India will play a five-game T20I series against England in January next year.