‘Khelne se kya hoga..? Age is not a deadline’: Suryakumar Yadav on India’s sporting rise, Olympics, T20 World Cup glory

New Delhi, Aug 29 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) From carrying his kit bag on bus and train journeys in the domestic circuit to leading India to T20 World Cup glory, Suryakumar Yadav’s journey is a reminder that sporting careers are not defined by a deadline. Now a two-time T20 World Cup winner, including India’s 2026 triumph under his captaincy, the flamboyant batter is keen to ensure his journey sends a broader message — “age is not a deadline; your preparation is.”

Speaking exclusively to IANS on National Sports Day, Suryakumar Yadav discussed how India’s sporting environment has evolved, highlighted the expanding opportunities for athletes outside cricket, and emphasised the role of cricketers in leveraging their influence to advocate for other sports.

The previous T20I captain, who spent years working through age-group and domestic cricket before making his international debut, advised young athletes to follow their own timelines instead of comparing themselves to others.

He also looked back on the emotional high of winning the World Cup, calling it the best moment of his career so far, while making it clear that he believes there is more to come — with cricket’s return to the Olympics at LA 2028 and another T20 World Cup on the horizon.

For SKY, National Sports Day is about more than celebrating achievements. It is about recognising the journeys, sacrifices and persistence that often occur long before the spotlight arrives.

Here are the excerpts from the conversation:

IANS: National Sports Day celebrates India’s sporting spirit. What does this day personally mean to you as you represent India in world cricket?

Suryakumar Yadav: I feel National Sports Day is all about what sport teaches you. From a cricketing point of view, wearing that Indian jersey means a lot. We are not just representing 11 players or the 15 in the squad; we represent around 1.4 billion dreams as well. This day reminds me that every time we step onto the field, we carry the spirit of our entire country.

IANS: Cricket dominates the sporting conversation in India. Do you think cricketers have a responsibility to use their influence to promote other sports as well?

Suryakumar Yadav: Absolutely. I say this with a lot of gratitude that cricket definitely dominates the sporting conversation in India. But at the same time, cricket has given us everything because India has given cricket so much love.

Today, when I see athletes from different sports and disciplines making India proud just as cricketers do, I feel we definitely have a responsibility. Whether it is posting about another sport on social media or simply putting up an Instagram story, it can bring a lot of eyeballs to another sport.

We should definitely do it because, at the end of the day, we are all Team India first.

IANS: Your journey to international cricket was not an overnight success. What would you tell youngsters who feel they are running out of time because they haven’t succeeded early?

Suryakumar Yadav: I would tell youngsters not to compare themselves to others, because everyone has a different story and a different chapter.

I spent a lot of time playing age-group and domestic cricket, taking those bus journeys and travelling in trains with my kit bag. I kept waiting. In India, most people think that if you don’t make it by 21 or 25, your career is over and you might have to choose a different option.

But I feel age is not a deadline; your preparation is.

You should just keep working on your skills and follow your process when no one is watching. Maybe someday, if I speak from a cricketing point of view, if you keep scoring runs and let your bat do the talking, the selectors will definitely find you, and you will be where you belong.

IANS: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has often spoken about making India a sporting powerhouse. From your perspective as an international athlete, how much has the sporting environment in India changed in recent years?

Suryakumar Yadav: Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji has spoken very loudly and clearly about making India a sporting powerhouse, and if you see the change, it is clearly massive and visible on the ground.

When I started playing cricket, there was very little infrastructure, so the opportunities were very limited. Today, thanks to initiatives like Khelo India, Fit India, TOPS, and the many new academies coming up, whether a kid is from a small town or a big city, they can find a ground, a coach, and now funding as well. So, that belief is back.

In my days, parents would say, “Beta padhai kar lo, beti padhai kar lo, sports khelne se kya hoga?” But now the mindset is completely changing. Now everyone says, “Sports mein bhi career hai.”

So, the environment has changed.

IANS: With cricket featuring at the Asian Games and now returning to the Olympics at LA 2028, how do you see the game’s growth?

Suryakumar Yadav: This is a historic moment for our game. Cricket returning to the Olympics at LA 2028, after 128 years, is huge. For us cricketers, winning an Olympic medal will have a different emotion, I’m sure. You get to stand on the podium for India alongside athletes from different sports.

At the Asian Games, we already experienced that. Sharing the Games Village with other Indian athletes was definitely special.

And if you ask me, cricket will grow globally because of the Olympics. More countries will invest in the game, and cricket will become truly global.

IANS: Finally, what did the World Cup victory mean to you personally? How was that feeling? Was it the best moment of your career?

Suryakumar Yadav: The night we won the World Cup is very difficult to describe in words. You dream about it when you are a kid — an eight-year-old or a 10-year-old. When you are playing gully cricket, you think about winning games for India, playing for India and lifting the World Cup for India.

But when you finally lift the World Cup, it is not just your journey. It is every coach who scolded you, every friend who helped you carry your kit bag, and each and every family member who prayed for you.

So, yes, you can say it is the best moment of my career till now. But I hope, and I seriously wish, that the best is yet to come.

As I said, 2028 brings the Olympics, with cricket going to the LA 2028 Olympics, and then there is another T20 World Cup coming in 2028. For any Indian cricketer, winning the World Cup for India is definitely special, and that feeling stays with you forever.

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