Olympic gold next target for Suryakumar after T20 World Cup triumph

Having lifted the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, Suryakumar Yadav has set his sights on the Olympic Games and the next edition of the tournament. Immediately after the victory, the India skipper declared an Olympic gold medal is now the team's next target.

"The next goal is the Olympics. Olympic gold and also the T20 World Cup that year. Don't forget," Suryakumar said at a post-match media conference, putting to rest speculation over his future plans.

The Olympic Games will be held in Los Angeles in August 2028, while the next T20 World Cup will be played later that year in Australia and New Zealand.

Suryakumar reflected on the journey over the last month, stating the feeling of winning the World Cup has not yet sunk in.

"It'll take a little bit of time to sink in… Whatever happened in the last two years post 2024 T20 World Cup has been unbelievable… It has been a wonderful journey."

Of the nine matches, India won eight, though the campaign was not initially smooth. India struggled to overcome USA and then lost a Super 8 game to South Africa. Suryakumar said the campaign gathered momentum after the match against Zimbabwe.

"When we played in Chennai against Zimbabwe, I felt that we have started playing a different brand of cricket… And when I played the (virtual) quarterfinal against West Indies at Eden Gardens, I felt that there was a different level of confidence in this team."

The India skipper said his memorable catch in the 2024 final changed his life and that he set his sights on the home World Cup after being appointed captain.

"That catch changed my life completely… I knew that we were going to play the World Cup in India after two years. And no team has ever won in India. And when you play T20 World Cup or any tournament in India, there is a different vibe, a different excitement."

India have 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… 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 and never stop."