“Biwi ki help ki khana banane mai” - Suryakumar Yadav reveals interesting celebration after being named T20I captain

Explosive batter Suryakumar Yadav has shared that he celebrated being appointed as India’s T20I captain by cooking a meal with his wife, Devisha Shetty. India's current ODI and Test skipper Rohit Sharma bid farewell to T20I cricket after leading the Men in Blue to victory in the 2024 T20 World Cup in June.

Following that, with Gautam Gambhir taking over as the new coach, Suryakumar was named captain of the T20I side in July 2024. In a recent conversation with Star Sports on their segment ‘SUPERSTARS,’ the 34-year-old reflected on how he marked the occasion, saying:

“It was an emotional moment, I called my family, spoke to them calmly, took a deep breath, felt that moment, and we celebrated at home peacefully. Thoda khana wana banaya, biwi ki help ki khana banane mai [ I made some food, helped my wife with cooking], that’s how we celebrated. It was fun. It’s a special feeling.”

The right-handed batter added that he's capable of cooking, especially when his wife, Devisha Shetty, asks him to. He said:

“Bana leta hu, banane mai toh number one hu mai aur khana bhi bana leta hu. Kabhi agar mann kiya agar biwi ne bola khana banana hai toh Biryani bana deta hu mai. Ghar par bhi khelna jruri hai thoda sa.” [If I ever feel like it and my wife asks me to cook, I make biryani. It's important to have some fun at home too].

Suryakumar Yadav will return to action when India face England in the second match of the five-game T20I series on Saturday, January 25.

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“Everything is same, nothing has really changed” - Suryakumar Yadav reflects on playing as a player vs captain

In the same conversation, Suryakumar Yadav was asked whether he enjoys playing as a player or as a captain more, to which the Mumbai cricketer replied:

“The fun is there in both roles [as a player and as a captain], it’s just an added responsibility. What I used to do before, I’m still doing the same thing. The job itself remains the same, it just falls under a different category now. Otherwise, everything is the same, nothing has really changed, and the fun is still there.”

He has featured in 79 T20Is for India and has captained the team in 18 of those matches.