India captain Suryakumar Yadav has set his sights on Olympic glory in 2028 after leading his team to a historic T20 World Cup triumph. Co-hosts India defeated New Zealand by 96 runs in Ahmedabad on Sunday, becoming the first team to retain the T20 World Cup and the first to win it three times.
The victory also marked the first T20 World Cup title won on home soil, with India showcasing fearless, attacking cricket throughout the tournament.
“It has been very special,” Suryakumar told reporters at a celebratory midnight press conference, as fans took to the streets nationwide. “Our next goal is Olympic gold, and of course the T20 World Cup that year.”
Cricket will return to the Olympics in Los Angeles 2028, its first appearance since 1900.
Under then-captain Rohit Sharma, India won the T20 World Cup in 2022 in Barbados, ending a nine-year wait for a major title since the 2013 Champions Trophy. Rohit and fellow veteran Virat Kohli retired from T20 cricket after the recent South Africa final, passing leadership to Suryakumar.
“I think that drought ended in 2024, and since then we never looked back,” said the 35-year-old captain. “We played a different brand of cricket and understood how this team needs to move forward. It’s been a wonderful journey since then.”
Suryakumar added: “We wanted to do something special in front of the home crowd. We want to continue doing that … and never stop.”
India’s last major home victory was the 50-over World Cup in 2011 under MS Dhoni, who also led the team to the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007. Since then, the team had experienced a relative drought in major tournaments.
Two-time World Cup winner Gautam Gambhir, who succeeded Rahul Dravid as coach after the 2024 World Cup, aims to leave his own mark. “I don’t believe in inheriting anything, I believe in creating something,” Gambhir said. “Hopefully, we’ve created something that fans can be proud of—the kind of brand of cricket we’ve played.”