India captain Suryakumar Yadav has opened up on his bond with new head coach Gautam Gambhir, with the two set to join forces for the first time in Indian colours during the first T20I against Sri Lanka in Pallekele. India will take on Sri Lanka in the series opener on Saturday. Suryakumar has been named as captain for the T20I rubber, which will be the first series of Gambhir’s much-anticipated tenure as head coach of the Indian team. Suryakumar, who has led India in the past, admitted that he has enjoyed being a leader, even when he is not captaining the side.

“I have always enjoyed being a leader on the field even though I was not the captain. I have always learnt a lot of things from different captains. It’s a good feeling and a great responsibility,” Suryakumar told BCCI.TV ahead of the first T20I against Sri Lanka Pallekele on Saturday.

Speaking on his relationship with Gambhir, Suryakumar recalled his early days in the IPL when he was playing for KKR under the leadership of the current India head coach.

“This relationship is special because in 2014 I played under him in KKR. It was special because from there only I got opportunities. The relationship is still strong. He (Gambhir) knows how I work, what is my mindset when I come to practice sessions. I also know how he tries to work as a coach. It’s all about the lovely relationship we have and very excited to see how it goes forward,” he added.

Talking about one big lesson this sport has given him, Suryakumar Yadav said that it has taught him to be humble and add a sense of balance to his life.

“I think the most important thing I have learnt from this sport is how humble you are after achieving something or even after when you are not doing well. That is one thing that I have learned. When you do something on the ground, you have to leave it on the ground and when you go off the field, that is it. This is not your life. It is just part of your life. So you cannot be… When you are doing well, you stay on the top and when you’re not doing well, you are underground. That is one thing which I feel you should not do as a sportsman,” he added.

Suryakumar led India in seven T20Is last year during the home T20I series against Australia and an away series against South Africa, winning five matches and losing two.

India’s tour of Sri Lanka will kick- off with a three-match T20I series, followed by a three-match ODI series. The Pallekele International Stadium will be hosting the T20I leg of the series while the R Premadasa is getting to host the 50-over matches.

The three ODIs will be held on August 2, August 4, and August 7.

Both teams will be taking to the field with new head coaches. While legendary all-rounder Sanath Jayasuriya has been named as the interim head coach for Lankan Lions, this will also be the first assignment for former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir as the head coach, succeeding the T20 World Cup-winning coach Rahul Dravid.

India’s last tour of Sri Lanka for a bilateral white-ball series came back in July 2021, with Dravid coaching the Shikhar Dhawan-led side. India won the ODI series 2-1, while Sri Lanka secured the T20I series by the same margin.

T20I Squad for Sri Lanka series: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed Siraj.

(With ANI Inputs)