After a horrid 2025, where he failed to hit a fifty, Suryakumar struck three fifties, including a fine 63 in a 46-run win over New Zealand at the Greenfield International Stadium on Saturday.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt feels really good. It\u2019s been a long year and a long wait for moments like this. I\u2019ve always dreamed about when this time would come. You actually said it before the last series in Ahmedabad - when SKY is there, don\u2019t fear.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI just kept doing the same things I\u2019d been doing over the last year, stuck to my routines. I knew I wasn\u2019t out of form, just out of runs. It\u2019s been a very good series, and going into the World Cup feeling like this is really special,\u201d said Suryakumar in the post-match presentation ceremony.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Reflecting on his struggles, he added, \u201cI think the sky wasn\u2019t blue for a year, (smiles). But that\u2019s life. It\u2019s part of the journey. I took it in my stride, went back to the drawing board, tried to understand what was going wrong.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cAfter the last series, I got two or three weeks where I spent time with close friends - they told me a few important things I needed to follow. That\u2019s a sportsperson\u2019s life. I\u2019ve seen so many careers - not just in cricket - where people go through these phases.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI knew my time would come if I kept doing the small things right. I\u2019m really happy with how things have turned out,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Looking ahead to preparations for the T20 World Cup, Suryakumar said, \u201cDefinitely, whether you win or lose, you always take something from the game. When we go back to Mumbai and play a warm-up game against South Africa, we\u2019ll sit down and analyse the last five games and the year as a whole - what we\u2019ve done well and what we can improve. Then we start our campaign.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
He also praised New Zealand\u2019s fight in the final game, where they fell 46 runs short of chasing India\u2019s 271\/5. \u201cThis format is really hard on bowlers - I completely understand that. When you score big runs, you have to expect the opposition to come hard at you.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cAs a captain and as a bowling unit, you\u2019re always under pressure. The key is having good plans. It\u2019s all part of the learning process. We\u2019ll sit down, talk it through, and move forward.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner said his side had taken positives despite losing the series. \u201cI think when you look at the series as a whole, we\u2019ve taken a lot of positives. India are a very good team - I said that right at the start - and in their own conditions they\u2019re extremely tough to beat. Maybe we push the ropes back a little for the bowlers (laughs), but overall, it\u2019s entertaining cricket at the end of the day,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cAs a captain and as a bowling unit, you\u2019re always under pressure. The key is having good plans. It\u2019s all part of the learning process. We\u2019ll sit down, talk it through, and move forward.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
On the lessons for the bowling unit, Santner said, \u201cIt\u2019s not easy. As a bowling unit, we\u2019ve got to find ways against very good batters - guys who deal in boundaries and sixes. Maybe it\u2019s about turning those big overs into 15 or 16, especially on flat pitches, knowing that even 230 can be chaseable.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n