After clinching the T20 World Cup title in the 2026 edition of the tournament, India captain Suryakumar Yadav has already set sights on the Olympic gold and the next edition of the tournament.
Speaking to the media after India’s 96-run victory against New Zealand in the finals, Suryakumar Yadav declared that India will be targeting a gold medal in 2028.
“The next goal is the Olympics. Olympic gold and the T20 World Cup that year. Don’t forget,” said Suryakumar Yadav.
The former captain Rohit Sharma, who announced his T20I retirement immediately after India’s T20 World Cup triumph in the 2024 edition, has been in a similar condition and has also built anticipation on Suryakumar Yadav’s next plan.
With this statement, Suryakumar Yadav dismissed his retirement plans and gave clarity on India’s preparations over the next two years.
The Olympic Games will be held in Los Angeles in August 2028, while the next edition of the T20 World Cup will be played later that year in Australia and New Zealand.
“It’ll take a little bit of time to sink in. We have just come out of a game. It was a good game. Playing at home. When we wake up tomorrow and go back home, I don’t know where we are going, but it will be a special feeling.”
“Whatever happened in the last two years post 2024 T20 World Cup has been unbelievable, and I don’t know how to express it. It has been a wonderful journey,” Suryakumar Yadav added.
“Obviously, it has been a wonderful journey the last month, though it didn’t start the way we wanted it to start. But then it’s part of the sport. Throughout the journey till today, it has been very special and collectively as a team, what we’ve achieved is in front of you.”
India, which made a decent start, has been unbeaten in the group stages while suffering a major defeat in the Super 8s game against South Africa, putting their knockout qualification in a tough spot.
2024 🏆
2026 🏆First team to successfully defend an ICC Men’s T20 World Cup title ✅
The reign continues for #TeamIndia 👑#T20WorldCup | #MenInBlue | #Final pic.twitter.com/gmIr5we67Q
— BCCI (@BCCI) March 8, 2026
However, they made a stunning comeback, settling their batting woes and winning several crucial games.
“When we played in Chennai against Zimbabwe, I felt that we had started playing a different brand of cricket. I understood a little bit about how to play going forward. And when I played the (virtual) quarterfinal against West Indies at the Eden Gardens, I felt that there was a different level of confidence in this team.”
The Indian skipper also recalled the memorable catch in the 2024 finals, which changed his life, and that he set his sights on the home World Cup after being appointed as captain.
“That catch changed my life completely. Because that was a moment of the tournament. And then after that, when I started leading this amazing team, it was a very special feeling because I knew that we were going to play the World Cup in India after two years,” added Suryakumar Yadav.
India has been playing a more attacking brand of cricket, and the skipper said that style will continue. “Everything was changed post 2024. We played a different brand of cricket in 2024, and from there, we understood how this team needs to work forward.
“And it’s been a wonderful journey since. We won the ICC Champions Trophy in 2025, played a completely different brand of cricket, and now in 2026, we wanted to do something special in front of the home crowd right here. We want to continue doing that 27 – 28 – 29 and never stop,” concluded Suryakumar Yadav.
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