Suryakumar Yadav reacts to Mitchell Santner’s ‘silence the crowd’ remark before T20 World Cup 2026 final
A Suryakumar Yadav press conference is a lot like watching him bat. Just when the questions seem predictable, he says something unexpected. With a joke here and a smile there, he keeps everyone entertained, just like his 360-degree batting. So, when asked for a reaction to New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner’s ‘the goal is to silence the crowd’ remark on the eve of the T20 World Cup final.
Suryakumar said “Why does everyone keep copy-pasting the same line? They need to come up with something new.”
He was talking about Australian captain Pat Cummins, who had done the same thing in 2023 when Australia defeated India in the ODI World Cup final and broke the hopes of Indian fans. Now, a new-look squad has taken up the challenge to flip the script during Sunday’s showdown at the Narendra Modi Stadium here. Even as the battle lines are firmly drawn in a completely different format, Suryakumar plays it cool.
Suryakumar Yadav reacts to Santner’s ‘silence the crowd’ remark
If matchday minus two were to be any indication, dew may set in during the second innings of the T20 World Cup final. While the toss becomes crucial in such circumstances, Suryakumar shrugged the concerns off. “If there’s a difficult situation, you’ve got to act. If you’re batting (second), there’s an advantage. But we’ve been playing a lot of franchise and international cricket amid heavy dew.”
“The camp is very relaxed. It’s a special feeling to lead such a wonderful side at home, and that too at such a wonderful stadium,” he said.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav said that all-rounder Axar Patel was not very happy after he was left out of the playing XI for the match against South Africa national cricket team.
He said: “It’s not an individual decision. We (Gambhir and himself) look at how the team’s set to benefit. Like we looked at favourable matchups and dropped Axar. It was a clear conversation. He wasn’t happy (laughs). These are experienced professionals; they understand.”
“We won the match (against England) eventually, and that happens when everyone is putting in collective effort. If we are winning games, we don’t worry about such things. Everyone goes through ups and downs. It is not possible for all 11 players to have a good day at the office. Varun is well aware of how he can step up,” he added.
Suryakumar says, “We never discussed it. If we played at a strike rate of 120 (113.69, to be accurate) and are still playing the final, I don’t mind. It is important to bat according to the situation and requirement.”
