‘More enthusiasm’: Suryakumar Yadav highlights key difference between India’s 2024 and 2026 World Cup squads

India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav has shared an interesting take on the difference between India’s T20 World Cup-winning squads of 2024 and 2026.

The Indian skipper said there was only a “minor difference” between the teams, but the energy and mindset of the players made each campaign unique.

India lifted the trophy in 2024 under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, ending a long wait for the title with a squad that included experienced names like Virat Kohli. After that campaign some of the senior players stepped away from the format.

Two years later, a younger Indian side entered the 2026 tournament as one of the favorites and went on to deliver another successful run.

‘The difference between one and the other,’ says Suryakumar Yadav

Speaking in an interview with Press Trust of India (PTI), Suryakumar said the difference between the two squads was minor, but the energy inside the dressing room felt different.

“There was just a ‘unnis bess ka farak’ (minor difference) between the two teams. Woh experienced wala josh tha, idhar ekdum khoon garam tha ladkon ka (That was experienced enthusiasm, this was fiery passion),” Suryakumar Yadav said.

Suryakumar also pointed out that the 2026 team had a younger core compared to the previous squad.

“This year, I can say that we had less experience but more enthusiasm. All the guys are 25 to 27 years old. It was necessary to explain to them how it feels to win a World Cup in India, when people will cheer so much for you, 50,000 people, a lakh people in the stadium.”

Ahmedabad had special emotional value

Suryakumar Yadav also revealed that while the objective in both tournaments remained the same, the emotions around the 2026 campaign felt stronger because the tournament was played in India.

“I think emotions were almost similar,” Suryakumar Yadav said. “There too we were playing for India, we wanted to win the World Cup. In ’26, the goal was the same, but the emotion of ’26 was a bit more because we were playing in India, and we wanted to win the World Cup in India, and we wanted to win it in the same stadium in Ahmedabad; that was more important for us.”

Ahmedabad carries an emotional connection for Indian cricket. The final was played at Narendra Modi Stadium, the same ground where India had suffered a heartbreaking defeat to the Australian national cricket team in the final of the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.

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