NEW DELHI: India head coach Gautam Gambhir says his high-pressure job feels a bit easier in the T20 format thanks to the "calm leadership" of Suryakumar Yadav, who "ticks every box" as captain.
In a short clip posted by Star Sports, which did not specify when exactly the coach spoke, Gambhir said India is lucky to have the swashbuckler as its captain for the ongoing T20 World Cup.
"Surya has made my life a lot easier in this format. He is a phenomenal leader of men, not by what he does on the field, not by how he is as a batsman or how his strokes are in this format," Gambhir said.
"All that you can keep aside but the way he relates to the players, the way he talks to players, the way he spends time with players, how much he is relaxed on the field. Sometimes as coach, you can think about a lot of other things because you know he is going to keep the atmosphere pretty much calm that any coach can dream of," he added.
India defeated USA in their opening game of the showpiece on Saturday with Suryakumar playing a stellar role, striking a 49-ball 84 that rescued the side after a top-order collapse against a plucky opposition.
India will next play Namibia here on Thursday.
"For me, I think Surya the player I can keep him aside but Surya the leader, for me I think he has ticked every box. He is just a phenomenal leader which has made my life a lot easier.
"And probably, it's a great thing when you have someone like him leading the country because his heart is in the right place and he takes the right decision especially when things are under pressure," Gambhir said in his lavish praise.
The 35-year-old Suryakumar, who was a part of the T20 World Cup-winning Indian team two years ago, took over the leadership weeks after that triumph when Rohit Sharma retired from the format internationally.