India’s T20I World Cup winning captain Suryakumar Yadavshared a light-hearted secret about head coach Gautam Gambhir, revealing how the team made several attempts to make him laugh during the T20 World Cup 2026 co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.

Known for his intense and no-nonsense approach, Gambhir rarely shows emotions on the field or in the dressing room. Suryakumar jokingly admitted that despite multiple efforts from the players, the high-pressure nature of India’s matches throughout the tournament meant that the head coach hardly had a smile on his face.

However, things changed after India scripted history by becoming the first team to win the T20 World Cup three times and also the first to defend the title successfully. 

"We tried many times during the World Cup to make him laugh, but our games were so intense from the beginning until the final. However, after winning the final, when we saw that smile on his face, everyone was very happy," Suryakumar was quoted as saying by NDTV Sports.

Meanwhile, the current Indian T20I captain also set his sights on future goals, expressing his ambition to lead the team to a third consecutive T20 World Cup title in 2028 and also secure a gold medal at the 2028 Summer Olympics, where cricket is going to make its return.

Speaking at the BCCI Naman Awards 2026, Suryakumar highlighted the significance of cricket’s inclusion in the Olympics and said India would aim to dominate both global events in 2028.

"Yeah, I mean it's a great thing that the big event is happening, and cricket is getting an entry into that. Of course, it will be a special thing. There are two events in that year (2028). There's a T20 World Cup as well, Olympics as well.

So why not? If you have done two in a row, why not three in a row in T20Is and definitely the Olympic gold," Suryakumar Yadav further added. 

In a yet another heart-warming moment, Indian coach Gautam Gambhir gave response to his former colleague MS Dhoni. The former World Cup winning captain had jokingly suggested Gambhir to smile more after winning the World Cup. In response, the left-hander had a few nice words to say.

"Good on him (Dhoni) to come and watch the World Cup final.

Good on him to ask me to smile. I wish one day he could be in my position, and I can write the same thing, and hopefully, he can smile from the dugout," said Gautam Gambhir while in conversation with Revsportz.