Indian national cricket team captain Suryakumar Yadav has stated that overcoming the defeat in the World Cup final is very difficult for the players, but the victory in the home T20I against the Australian national cricket team acted as a “big boost” for them.

The Rohit Sharma-led team faced a heartbreaking defeat against Pat Cummins-led Australia in the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. After the tournament, the Men in Blue faced the Australians in a T20I series under the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav and won 4-1.

India’s next challenge is a T20I series against South Africa and speaking ahead of the first match, captain Suryakumar Yadav said the Indian players played brave cricket against Australia and he wants them to do the same against the Proteas.

“The defeat in the World Cup was a disappointment and it is difficult to overcome it. But the series win against Australia was a big boost even though it came in a different format. The players raised their hands against Australia and created fearless cricket, and we must play the same against South Africa. I just told them (the players) to do exactly what you do in franchise cricket,” Suryakumar said.

We have the combination in mind – Suryakumar Yadav

The 33-year-old also revealed that they have already decided on the playing combination for the T20Is in South Africa. However, he did not reveal any names. Suryakumar Yadav said:

“We have the combination in mind. We know who will open tomorrow and maybe we’ll get a final call after today’s practice session. Yes, we have enough sixth player options in this side that we can count on.”

He further said that he enjoys captaining the Indian team in T20Is in the absence of Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya.

“I’m enjoying it. It’s about keeping the players together and this is a good group of players,” Suryakumar added.

The three-match T20I series between India and South Africa will be played on December 10, 12 and 14 in Durban, Gqeberha and Johannesburg.