Suryakumar Yadav, India's two-time T20 World Cup-winning captain, says the most important message his career carries is simple: 'Age is not a deadline; your preparation is.' Speaking on National Sports Day (29 August), the flamboyant right-hander reflected on a journey that took him from bus and train rides with his kit bag through the domestic circuit to lifting the 2026 T20 World Cup as India's captain — a triumph he calls the best moment of his career so far.

On What National Sports Day Means to Him

For Suryakumar, the day is less about celebration and more about recognising the sacrifices that precede any spotlight. 'Every time we step onto the field, we carry the spirit of our entire country,' he said, noting that the Indian jersey represents not just the 15 players in the squad but 'around 1.4 billion dreams as well.'

He stressed that National Sports Day should serve as a reminder of the journeys — often long, often invisible — that athletes undertake before recognition arrives.

Cricketers' Responsibility to Promote Other Sports

Suryakumar acknowledged that cricket dominates India's sporting conversation but argued that its popularity creates a duty. 'Whether it is posting about another sport on social media or simply putting up an Instagram story, it can bring a lot of eyeballs to another sport,' he said. 'At the end of the day, we are all Team India first.'

His remarks come as athletes across disciplines — from wrestling to badminton to athletics — have increasingly called for more equitable visibility and institutional support in a landscape still heavily tilted toward cricket.

His Message to Young Athletes: Follow Your Own Timeline

Suryakumar spent years in age-group and domestic cricket before earning his India cap, and he is candid about the doubt that period can breed. 'In India, most people think that if you don't make it by 21 or 25, your career is over,' he said. His counter: keep working on your skills 'when no one is watching,' let your performances do the talking, and trust that selectors will find you.

Notably, his own international debut came well past the age at which many peers had already established themselves — making his subsequent rise to the top of the ICC T20I rankings one of Indian cricket's more striking late-bloomer stories.

India's Sporting Environment: 'The Change Is Massive'

Suryakumar credited government-backed schemes — Khelo India, Fit India, and the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) — along with a surge in new academies for shifting the cultural conversation around sport. 'When I started playing cricket, there was very little infrastructure,' he said. 'Today, whether a kid is from a small town or a big city, they can find a ground, a coach, and now funding as well.'

He recalled the earlier parental refrain — 'Beta padhai kar lo, sports khelne se kya hoga?' — and said the mindset has shifted decisively: 'Now everyone says, sports mein bhi career hai.'

Cricket at LA 2028 Olympics and the Road Ahead

Cricket's return to the Olympics at LA 2028 — its first appearance in 128 years — drew particular enthusiasm from Suryakumar. 'Winning an Olympic medal will have a different emotion,' he said, describing the prospect of standing on the podium alongside athletes from other sports as uniquely meaningful. He pointed to India's experience at the Asian Games — sharing the Games Village with athletes across disciplines — as a preview of that feeling.

With both the LA 2028 Olympics and another T20 World Cup in 2028 on the horizon, Suryakumar made clear he is far from done. 'The best is yet to come,' he said.