Ahmedabad: Top-order batsman Suryakumar Yadav has declared his ambition to lead India to a gold medal at the 2028 Olympics by defeating New Zealand in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.
The dynamic batsman led India to an impressive victory in the final in Ahmedabad, which 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, expressed pride in the team’s performance and outlined his future ambitions for Olympic glory.
“It’s been an amazing journey in the last one month, but it didn’t start the way we wanted, but that’s part of the game,” Suryakumar said at his final press conference in Ahmedabad.
“It’s been a great journey to date and I think what we’ve achieved collectively is (the trophy) in front of you. So, (I’m) very happy with that, the next goal is Olympic gold and the team we’re working with,” he added.
Cricket will make its long-awaited return to the Olympic program at the Los Angeles 2028 Games, marking the sport’s first appearance since the Paris 1900 Olympics.
Following the International Olympic Committee’s decision to add the sport from 14 to 29 July 2028, six teams in both men’s and women’s competition will compete for medals.
Based on the current ICC T20 rankings, India are in a good position to qualify from Asia in both categories. All matches will be held at the Fairgrounds, a temporary purpose-built stadium in Pomona, about 50 kilometers from Los Angeles.
India’s men’s team currently holds the Champions Trophy and T20 World Cup titles, and Yadav identified the 2024 T20 World Cup win under Rohit Sharma in Barbados as a pivotal moment in the side’s evolution.
“Everything changed after 2024. We played different cricket in 2024 and from then on we understood how this team needs to progress and play forward and since then it has been an amazing journey,” he explained.
“We won the ICC Champions Trophy in 2025, played completely different cricket and now in 2026, we want to do something better in front of our home crowd. So we want to continue it in 2027, 2028, 2029 and never stop,” he concluded.