'Toh abhi karlenge poore potential ko use' - Suryakumar Yadav delivers jestful remark to past remark from Gautam Gambhir

It is widely acknowledged that the relationship between India's T20I captain for the Sri Lanka tour, Suryakumar Yadav, and the Indian team's head coach, Gautam Gambhir, extends back a decade to 2014. At that time, Surya was acquired by the Kolkata Knight Riders, who were under Gambhir's captaincy. 

In a recent discussion, Gambhir reflected on the ideal role of a leader and expressed a notable regret from his seven-year tenure as captain of KKR. He lamented that neither he nor the team fully harnessed Suryakumar Yadav's potential during his time with the franchise, attributing this shortfall primarily to team combinations and strategic constraints.

"A leader's role is to identify the best potential and show it to the world. If there is one regret that I have in my seven years of captaincy, is that me and we as a team never managed to use Suryakumar Yadav to the best of potential. The reason was down to combinations," Gambhir had told Sportskeeda.

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Meanwhile, during the pre-match press conference on the eve of today's first T20I game, while discussing the profound bond with Gambhir, a correspondent casually referenced Gambhir’s earlier remarks. In response, Surya offered a particularly witty retort, assuring that there was no cause for concern, as the potential would now be fully realized, and emphasizing that it was never too late to achieve it.

"Toh abhi karlenge poore potential ko use (we will fulfil that potential now)," Suryakumar said with a smile as quoted by NDTV Sports.

Nothing changes, the brand of cricket remains the same: Suryakumar

Reflecting on the transition from Rohit Sharma’s captaincy in the shortest format following his retirement, Suryakumar articulated a clear approach moving forward. He drew a compelling analogy, likening the shift in leadership to the replacement of an engine while the train bogies represented the fixated thought process. Surya emphasized that despite this transition, the essence of captaincy remained unchanged, merely augmented by additional responsibilities. He expressed confidence that this elevated role would enable him to genuinely live up to the promises and expectations associated with his new position.

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"The same train will go ahead, only the engine has changed and the bogies remain unchanged. Nothing changes, the brand of cricket remains the same. It (the captaincy role) doesn't change anything. It has given me an added responsibility. It is good that now I can 'walk the talk'," added Suryakumar.

Under Rohit, who retired from T20Is following India's World Cup triumph in the Americas, the team adopted a transformative and aggressive approach, evolving from the strategic framework established during last year's 50-over World Cup on home soil.