Suryakumar Yadav is considered one of the best T20 batsmen in India. The current Mr. 360, who is flourishing with the Mumbai Indians, also played an important role in the Kolkata Knight Riders. He proved himself completely by returning to the Mumbai Indians once again from IPL 2018. In 2021, SKY made his T20 debut for India, and today he is the T20 captain of Team India. Recently, Suryakumar and his wife, Devisha Shetty, appeared on a show called 'Who's the Boss?' Here he talked openly with Harbhajan Singh and Geeta Basra and shared his hard work, changes and family support.
What sacrifices did Suryakumar Yadav make?
Suryakumar said in the conversation that around the year 2016, he was happy with his game, but gradually he realised that a higher level was still left. At that time, players of his age were playing in Team India, and he also had to move forward in this journey. He said that things started changing with the arrival of Devisha. He reduced partying with his friends, stopped going out late at night and focused completely on practice. According to him, his performance picked up pace from 2018 and 2020, reaching new heights in his career. Suryakumar said that the door was not opening for him alone, so he and Devisha broke that door together.
“I was very content at that time [around 2016]. Whatever was happening, it was okay. I was enjoying this game. But then, it gradually dawned on me that there’s a bigger level ahead. I was scoring runs, so what’s the problem? Players from my age group were already playing for India. I was wondering what to do when Madam came into the picture," Suryakumar said.
“I reduced my friend circle, cut down on late-night outings and weekends. We focused on quality practice sessions, and I brought some discipline into my life. One season [2018] went well, and then 2019 was even better. 2020 was like icing on the cake. We started in 2018 and, from the first year, the graph started rising. Because the door was not opening alone, we broke it together,” the 34-year-old added.
Devisha told in the conversation that she never gave herself full credit for this. But she admitted that she definitely played a role in keeping Suryakumar mentally strong. She felt that Surya needed that one gentle push that would take him more seriously towards his goal. After marriage, she explained to Surya that it is okay to spend time with friends but it should not affect the career. Devisha said that after a time, Surya even stopped looking at the team selection and decided that everything would happen automatically when the right time comes.
“At that time, when we got married, that extra push that, ‘I want to go further, I want to do this’, it was there, but it was not as strong as it should have been. I noticed that no one is giving him that little bit of a push. That was not coming from anywhere. It took me a year to make him understand that friends and all are great. Have a good time, but do not let that compromise with your work," Devisha said.
As a fan, this story of Suryakumar is not just an example of hard work but also shows that the right partner and positive environment can take any player to new heights. Today, Surya is the T20 captain, which reflects his dedication, family's trust and the thinking of continuous improvement. Young players should learn from him what changes are necessary in a career. Just scoring runs is not enough; taking the right decisions at the right time in the right direction is equally important. Surya has proved this.
