New Delhi: Indian Captain Surya Kumar Yadav has offered an interesting insight into what separates the country’s back-to-back T20 World Cup-winning squads, describing the 2024 squad as driven by “veteran enthusiasm” and the 2026 unit by “youthful enthusiasm”.“Go beyond limits with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!Suryakumar explained that while both teams were equally skilled, the difference lay in their mentality. “There was just an ‘ins ki mukhi ka faraq’. That was the exuberance of the experience, the look of the boys,” he said in an interview to PTI, highlighting how the previous team leaned on experience, while the latest batch thrived on youthful intensity.2024 victory, achieved under Rohit Sharmasuch as prominent stalwarts Virat Kohli And Ravindra JadejaHis experience helped India end a long drought of ICC titles. In contrast, the 2026 squad fielded a young core following the retirement of the senior trio from the format.
2024 vs 2026 – Experience vs Youth“In 2024, we had a lot of experience and clearly defined roles. Now there are good players, but this team had immense experience,” noted Surya Kumar, downplaying any direct comparison between the two sides in terms of superiority.Leading a relatively young group into 2026 also meant managing expectations, especially with the tournament being held at home. Surya Kumar revealed that he had to mentally prepare his players for the intensity of the occasion. “All the boys are 25 to 27 years old. It was important to show them what it feels like to win the World Cup in India, with 50,000 or even 100,000 people cheering,” he said.Despite the relative inexperience, the captain felt that the team’s hunger made the difference. “Skill-wise, there is only a slight difference in T20 cricket, but there was more excitement this time,” he added.Reflecting on his journey from a key player in 2024 to captain in 2026, Surya Kumar admitted that emotions have run high. “The goal was the same, but the emotions were higher in 2026 because we were playing in India. Winning it in Ahmedabad made it even more special,” he said.
