NEW DELHI: India skipper Suryakumar Yadav says he brought power-hitter Ishan Kishan into the T20 World Cup winning team purely on gut feeling, because he felt the Bihar batsman had the X-factor that could turn around matches.
In a podcast interview with PTI Videos on Sunday, Suryakumar was asked if he is a data-driven captain or gut-feel skipper, and what made him pick Kishan over Jitesh Sharma.
"It was completely on gut, little bit on data. It (the decision) was very harsh on Jitesh Sharma at that time because he was playing with the team for over an year. And he was playing, had he not been playing then the story would have been different," he said.
Suryakumar, who led India to the T20 World Cup victory on March 8, spoke at length about his career, the future of Indian cricket, and his relationship with head coach Gautam Gambhir and the squad. He pointed out that his own batting is driven largely by reaction and instincts.
"I was also very sad when we had to pick Ishan over Jitesh. But we needed an opener who could fire at the top, so someone had to miss out."
He revealed how Kishan came into the squad: Suryakumar called the 27-year-old and asked "Chhotu, World Cup jitayega?" (Will you get us the World Cup?). Kishan responded "Bharosa karogey?" (Do you trust me?) to which Suryakumar said "Chal kiya" (Done).
"And the way he played was amazing ... I always knew that he can be the X-factor because he has no baggage," Suryakumar recalled. He added that Kishan was going through a bad patch, having been out of the team for a while. To stay in the game, he travelled all over India and played minor matches, even practice games, to keep himself in the reckoning.
Kishan didn't let down his skipper. In nine matches, he made 317 runs at a strike rate of over 190, batting in the opening and number three slot.
His aggregate was the fourth highest in this edition of the World Cup, the first time that any country has won back to back tournaments. India won the 2024 World Cup in Barbados under Rohit Sharma, who retired from the format internationally after that.
Suryakumar was picked captain of the team a few weeks later.
Suryakumar was not as dismissive of data as head coach Gautam Gambhir but when it came to Kishan, he just knew that the explosive wicketkeeper-batter could be the X-factor.
Jitesh had recently opened up to PTI about how that omission demoralised him but he overcame the disappointment after gaining perspective on what true loss means after the death of his father.
Suryakumar, 35, applauded Kishan's commitment towards a national comeback after being dropped for not playing mandated domestic cricket.
In the just-concluded World Cup, Kishan smashed a blazing half century in the final after an 18-ball 39 against England in the semifinals.
Another selection call that proved decisive in India's title triumph was Sanju Samson's inclusion in the opening slot.
He galvanised the line-up, that was looking brittle and slightly jittery especially against quality off-spin.
The Kerala player's back-to-back scores of 89 in the semifinal and final, didn't just lock the title for the hosts, but also fetched him the player of the tournament honours.
"...after Sanju Samson got included in the side, I think the tide completely changed. And it was a little bit of tactical decision as well because two left-handers, actually three left-handers were batting at the top," Suryakumar said referring to the presence of an off-colour Abhishek Sharma and Kishan at the top.
"So it was getting very easy for the opposition to bowl their off-spinners, sometimes part-timers as well. I think it was perfect and timely inclusion of Sanju and then the way he played, I think it was due for him as well," he explained.
Suryakumar said Samson was working hard behind the scenes and not many had an idea as to what he was going through.
"But then the way he played throughout the campaign, became the player of the tournament, I think it was amazing. He is a great talent and most importantly he is a great human being.
"If you are a great human being, you are a good man, as I always say everywhere good things happen to good people. I think the best thing happened to him when he started playing this World Cup," he said.
When asked about his individual form and approach to batting, Suryakumar said he simply reacts to what he is facing from the other end.
"It's a reaction-driven sport. You prepare for what the bowler will throw at you. So I think 70 to 75 per cent approach in batting is driven by reaction and the rest is your instinct. On a given day, you assess what it needed from you and bat accordingly," he said.