New Delhi: India’s T20 World Cup winning captain Surya Kumar Yadav has revealed how a simple but “brutally honest” question from his wife Devisha in 2018 became the turning point in his career, making him realize his long-held dream of playing for the country.Go beyond limits with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!Suryakumar said the conversation came at a time when his career was stable but lacked direction. “We got married in 2016 when I was still playing for KKR. Everything was going very smoothly. I was playing well, enjoying it,” he recalled the moment during a podcast with PTI. “But in 2018, he asked me – ‘So many players of your age are playing for India, what’s on your mind?’ I said, ‘I want to play India too.’ Then he asked, ‘How will you play?’
The question, he admits, forced him to reflect on himself. “It was not an argument, it was a discussion about how to take that extra step. If I want to play for India and win games, how do I do that?” She said, describing it as a defining moment.This was followed by a series of discs.IPLLifestyle changes. “We had to cut back on a lot of things – food, circle of friends, weekends. We treated it like a Monday-to-Friday job,” explains Surya Kumar. The results were immediate. A brilliant IPL 2018 season, followed by consistent performances in 2019 and 2020, finally led to his India debut in 2021.Surya Kumar described Devisha as a constant pillar of support who shaped his mindset off the field. “He’s been a big influence behind the scenes, telling me honest things,” she said.Importantly, his guidance extended beyond cricket. “He didn’t give advice about cricket but helped me in life – how to approach situations and how to conduct myself,” he added. He also made sure he stayed grounded. “At home, you are not Surya Kumar Yadav. Leave the cricket out. Be humble – even the little things like putting your plate in the sink.”
