Suryakumar Yadav sets sights on Olympic Gold after T20 World Cup triumph

AHMEDABAD: Top-order batter Suryakumar Yadav has declared his ambition to lead India to Olympic gold in 2028 after captaining the side to their third T20 title by defeating New Zealand in a high-scoring ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 final here on Sunday at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

The dynamic batsman guided India to a commanding victory in the final in Ahmedabad, capping what he described as a "wonderful journey" despite early challenges in the tournament.

While addressing the media, Yadav reflected on the challenges and highlights of the tournament, expressing pride in the team’s performance and outlining his future ambitions for Olympic glory.

"Obviously it has been a wonderful journey in the last one month though it didn't start the way we wanted it to start but then it's part of the sport," Suryakumar said at his post-final press conference in Ahmedabad.

"Throughout the journey till today it has been very special and collectively as a team what we have achieved I think is right in front of you [trophy]. So, [I'm] very happy with that and the next goal is the Olympic gold and also the team that we work with," he added.

Cricket will make its long-awaited return to the Olympic programme at the Los Angeles 2028 Games, marking the first appearance of the sport since the Paris 1900 Olympics.

Six teams in both the men's and women's competitions will contest for medals between 14 and 29 July 2028, following the International Olympic Committee's decision to include the sport.

Based on current ICC T20 rankings, India are well-positioned to qualify from Asia in both categories. All matches will be held at the Fairgrounds Stadium, a temporary purpose-built venue in Pomona, approximately 50 kilometres from Los Angeles.

India's men's team currently hold both the Champions Trophy and T20 World Cup titles, and Yadav identified the 2024 T20 World Cup victory under Rohit Sharma in Barbados as a pivotal moment in the side's evolution.

"Everything was changed post-2024. We played a different kind of cricket in 2024 and from there we understood how this team needs to work forward, play forward and it's been a wonderful journey since then," he explained.

"We won an ICC Champions Trophy in 2025, played a completely different kind of cricket and now in 2026, we wanted to do something special in front of the home crowd. So we want to continue doing that in 2027, 2028, 2029 and never stop," he concluded.