On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a memorable Diwali moment with former India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav and his family in New Delhi.
With Suryakumar sporting his gold medal from the 2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup victory, the encounter also provided a taste of India's recent success in cricket. As the two celebrated India's historic accomplishment, PM Modi was spotted holding the medal with the former captain, creating an unforgettable moment.
The Prime Minister discussed the spiritual meaning of this year's Diwali celebrations and connected them to the coming of Lord Ram and the Saryu, sharing details of the discussion on his official X account. He said, "In the atmosphere of Diwali, the arrival of Ram and Saryu has taken place." This has increased the sacredness and divinity of the Diwali atmosphere," Modi stated.
As a batter and captain in the shortest format, Suryakumar has had great success. He achieved the top spot in the ICC T20I batting rankings in October 2022 and was named ICC Men's T20I Cricketer of the Year in 2022 and 2023.
He became one of the highest-rated batters in the format's history when he recorded a career-high 910 rating points in January 2023.
His impact on Indian cricket has gone beyond his individual achievements. Before guiding the team to another trophy in 2026, Suryakumar was instrumental in India's 2024 T20 World Cup victory. India became the first team to successfully defend the T20 World Cup under his leadership.
In 2025, he led India to victory in the T20 Asia Cup held in the United Arab Emirates.
But following the 2026 World Cup victory, his time as captain ended. Afterward, Suryakumar was excluded from India's T20I team for the UK tour, which included games against England and Ireland. He was replaced by Shreyas Iyer, who is said to have benefited from his leadership experience at Punjab Kings in the IPL.
It was also said that Suryakumar's recent batting difficulties had an impact on the choice.
