Under the pump, skipper Surya ticks the right boxes

There was pressure, on and off the field, but the India skipper dealt with it in the best way possible

- Somshuvra Laha

It was a match that India couldn't afford to lose, but Suryakumar Yadav couldn't have said that aloud. Instead, he took the smart route -- got on with the things he could control -- got his tactics spot on and steered the team to a comfortable win with a calm bat. Only when the match was done did he speak a few words, and that was all that was needed to be spoken. All with a smile on his face, Surya style.

It's too early to talk about Suryakumar's legacy in Indian cricket. He is not a scorer in the conventional mould. Yet his batting has been highly spoken of, purely because of the audacity with which he has been targeting the most obscure corners with the most unorthodox shots.

A team man to the core. Sharp fielder too; remember the catch at Bridgetown in 2024? But probably now it will dawn upon us how he is also this immense leader who can be unmoved by the chaos around him as long as he knows when, where and how to deliver a message for the country without worrying about being judged. As he said later: "I feel a few things in life are ahead of sportsman spirit."