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Suryakumar Yadav admitted on Saturday that the heart-breaking World Cup final defeat is challenging to move on from. Still, the Indian captain sees the recent T20 series win over Australia as a significant boost for the team ahead of the South Africa tour.
India secured a 4-1 victory against Australia in the five-match series at home before departing for South Africa. Suryakumar expressed, "The World Cup defeat was a disappointment, and it is tough to move on from it. But the series win against Australia was a big boost even though it came in a different format."
As the stand-in captain for the injured Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar praised India's performance against Australia and encouraged the team to play 'fearless cricket' in the upcoming three-match T20 series against South Africa.
"The players put their hands up against Australia and came up with fearless cricket, and we need to play the same against South Africa. I just told them (players) to do exactly what they do in franchise cricket," he remarked.
Regarding India's combination for the tour opener, Suryakumar did not reveal specifics but mentioned that they have internally finalized it. He stated, "We have the combination in mind. We know who are going to open tomorrow, and perhaps, will take a final call after the practice session today. Yes, we have enough sixth bowler options in this side to bank upon."
The 33-year-old captain expressed his enjoyment in leading the team, saying, "I am enjoying it. It is all about keeping the players together, and this is a fine group of players."