New Delhi: Ahead of the first T20I against England at Eden Gardens on Wednesday, India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav (SKY) recalled his playing days for IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) under head coach Gautam Gambhir and his fondness for Bengali delicacy ‘mishti doi’.

After making his IPL debut with Mumbai Indians in 2012, Suryakumar joined KKR and represented the franchise from 2014 to 2017. Under Gambhir’s leadership, KKR lifted their maiden title in 2014, and Suryakumar was part of that winning team.

“When I came to Kolkata at that time, people offered me a lot of ‘mishti doi’. Now, when we travel here, I try to include that in my cheat meal. It is a vintage-type feeling, and it feels good when you come here. The weather is nice here. There will be fireworks from both teams, so it will be good,” Suryakuma said in a video posted by BCCI on X.

The Indian captain revealed that he never thought of leading India at Eden Gardens when it used to be his home venue in IPL. Suryakumar also added that he knows the ground well and learned a lot of tricks and traits from Gambhir.

“In 2014, when I joined KKR for the first time, I didn’t think of leading India 10 years down the line. It is a good feeling to lead India here at this historic venue. It has been a beautiful journey. It feels good to think about the past memories of playing here from 2014 to 2017. I played under Gauti bhai here and learned a lot of tricks and traits, so I know this place really well. Very happy to be back here again,” the India captain added.

The first T20I of the five-match series will be played at Eden Gardens on Wednesday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

–IANS

(Photo: IANS/Suresh Kumar)