By Admin 
India’s T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav on Friday (September 19, 2025) walked over to the Oman team and spoke to the players after their Asia Cup match in Abu Dhabi. He praised the Oman performance and shared words of encouragement.
Oman fought tooth and nail before going down by 21 runs to the star-studded Indian side, and just as the players were cooling off after the post-match formalities, Suryakumar approached them on the request of Oman’s deputy head coach Sulakshan Kulkarni.
Kulkarni, a former Mumbai stumper, has seen Suryakumar grow from his under-16 days. After he requested the India skipper to come over, Suryakumar was there, smiling, and ready to share a few words with Jatinder Singh and his spirited men.
“Surya spoke about the game and praised us which means a lot. Our boys had questions on how to play in different phases of T20 game. It was really nice to have a chat with him,” Oman skipper Jatinder said.
The huddle on the lush green outfield was informal but full of warmth. Suryakumar praised the entire team for not being overawed by reputations and for the way they played their shots with freedom.
Praise for two batters
He reserved special praise for the two half-centurions — Aamir Kaleem and Hammad Mirza — telling them that their fearless batting against India would inspire others back home.
Cell phones were out soon after, and Suryakumar happily obliged with selfies and a group photograph, the Oman cricketers grinning.
It was a fleeting moment, but one that underlined why the Indian skipper is often called the people’s cricketer.