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Gautam Gambhir Steps Back from Spotlight After Suryakumar, Rinku, and Parag’s Classy Post-Match Gesture

Though not completely, the three-match Twenty20 International series between Sri Lanka and the Suryakumar Yadav-led team provided a peek of Gautam Gambhir’s style of white-ball cricket. In addition to following the Rohit Sharma-Rahul Dravid formula, which was crucial to India’s journey to the 2023 World Cup final and their successful T20 World Cup campaign, he has also made it clear that he requires the top-order batsmen to contribute a few overs, giving the captain plenty of options to choose from during a match.

Rinku Singh and Suryakumar Yadav took over as bowlers on Tuesday when India had to hold nine runs in the last twelve deliveries. The management decided to take a big risk, and it paid off as both part-timers picked up four wickets apiece as Sri Lanka forced a Super Over, even though Mohammed Siraj still had one over remaining. Then, in the tie-breaker, Washington Sundar crushed Lankan aspirations by taking two wickets in three deliveries for only two runs, and Suryakumar sealed the deal with the first ball.

As the squad gathered to celebrate the trophy after the victory, captain Suryakumar gave the titles to Rinku Singh and Riyan Parag while photographers recorded the occasion. As soon as Suryakumar asked for them, the support staff members joined the players. Then, as it was Gambhir’s first task as the team’s head coach, Rinku and Parag approached him and urged him to take center stage with the trophy in hand. But instead of taking center stage, the former India World Cup champion remained in the corner with the other coaching staff members.

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‘If we put our heart in…we can pull it off’

Suryakumar talked on how India approached defending 138 on the spinning course after winning the Player of the Series award during the post-match presentation. “I think the boys showed character in the middle and stole the game away from them more than the last over, between 30/4 and 48/5. On the track, 140 seemed like a par score to me. During the fielding practice, I informed them I had seen these kinds of games while we were heading in. We can succeed if we give it our all for an hour and a half,” he stated.