“Reduced friend circle, cut down on late-night outings” - Team India star explains mindset change that took his career to the next level

Team India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav has revealed that he stepped out of his comfort zone between 2018 and 2020 in his endeavor to play for India. The 34-year-old admitted that in the few years before that, he was content with what he was doing in life. He also credited wife Devisha Shetty for supporting him and pushing him hard to go that extra mile.

Suryakumar made a belated international debut in March 2021 at the age of 30. He was picked in the T20I squad for the home series against England on the back of some stellar IPL seasons. The Indian batter hasn’t looked back since and today is regarded among the biggest stars in T20 cricket.

Suryakumar and wife Devisha appeared in the latest episode of the chat show “Who’s the boss?” hosted by former cricketer Harbhajan Singh and his wife Geeta Basra. While discussing the ups and downs of this cricket career, Suryakumar also opened up on how he worked towards his goal of playing for India, with mental support from Devisha. He recalled:

“I was very content at that time [around 2016]. Whatever was happening, it was okay. I was enjoying this game. But then, it gradually dawned on me that there’s a bigger level ahead. I was scoring runs, so what’s the problem? Players from my age group were already playing for India. I was wondering what to do when madam came into the picture.

“I reduced my friend circle, cut down on late-night outings and weekends. We focused on quality practice sessions and I brought some discipline into my life. One season [2018] went well, and then 2019 was even better. 2020 was like icing on the cake. We started in 2018 and, from the first year, the graph started rising. Because the door was not opening alone, we broke it together,” the Indian T20I leader added.

Suryakumar did not get a chance to bat on his T20I debut. However, in the very next match, he was named Player of the Match for his blazing 57 off 31 balls in Ahmedabad. The right-handed batter struck the first ball that he faced in international cricket from Jofra Archer for a six.

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“I noticed no one is giving him that little bit of push” - Devisha Shetty on Suryakumar Yadav’s rise in international cricket

While refusing to take any credit for her husband’s success in international cricket, Devisha said that he she only provided him with some mental support that was lacking. According to Devisha, while Suryakumar had the urge to do well pre-2018 as well, it was not strong enough. She elaborated:

“At that time, when we got married, that extra push that, ‘I want to go further, I want to do this’, it was there, but it was not as strong as it should have been. I noticed that no one is giving him that little bit of that push. That was not coming from anywhere. I took me a year to make him understand that friends and all are great. Have a good time, but do not let that compromise with your work.

“After a point, he stopped looking at the teams that were getting announced. He was like, ‘the day it comes, we’ll come to know’. What he did cricket wise, it’s him. I am not involved. But of course, pushing him a little bit mentally… ,” she concluded.

Having made his T20I debut in March 2021, Suryakumar has so far featured in 83 matches and has scored 2,598 runs at an average of 38.20 and a strike rate of 167.07, with four hundreds and 21 fifties.