Summary of this article
Suryakumar Yadav got married in 2016, was playing for KKR at the time
Right-hander had big career discussion with wife Devisha in 2018
Made crucial changes, got picked for India in 2021 and has since lifted two T20 World Cup trophies
It was her matter-of-fact query that drove him to slog hard for a national call-up. And now that Suryakumar Yadav is a World Cup-winning captain, he can't praise his "brutally honest" wife Devisha enough for shaping the man he has become.
It was in 2018 when Devisha asked Suryakumar a simple question: "If you want to play for India, how do you plan to do it?" Eight years since that "brutally honest conversation", Suryakumar led India to a successful T20 World Cup title defence.
"We got married in 2016 when I was still playing for KKR. Everything was going very smooth. I was playing well, enjoying and she looked at my journey and my routines till 2018 when I joined Mumbai Indians. I think we started doing things a little differently," Suryakumar recalled during a podcast interview with 'PTI Videos'.
"She told me that all those who played with you in age group, a lot of them are now playing for India, what do you have in mind? I said: 'Mujhe bhi India khelna hai (I want to play for India too)'. 'Kaise kheloge' (how do you plan to do it?), she asked.
"It was a nice little conversation with her, not an argument but discussion. But yes, it was a discussion about how can you take one extra step forward in your endeavour. If I want to play for India and want to win games for India, how do I do it?" the 35-year-old revealed his career-changing tete-a-tete with the wife.
Once a decision about taking that extra step towards realising the ultimate goal was taken, some hard life choices were also on cards and as a couple Suryakumar and Devisha walked that path.
"We had to cut down on a lot of things -- from diet, to friends circles to weekends, rest on Saturday-Sunday, Monday to Friday work schedule, so we set the ball rolling and in 2018, I had a very good IPL season (512 runs) and also domestic cricket," he said.
"That year, I got a chance to open for Mumbai Indians and I got runs too, Come 2019 and 2020, we kept doing the same thing and I was in a different mood. She saw that he has started enjoying even more, 2020 was even better (480 runs as finisher) and then in 2021 I got picked for India," Suryakumar added.
The amiable skipper said Devisha remained behind the scenes to be his pillar of strength.
"She has been a big influence behind the scenes in telling me honest things. If it is your partner, she will always be honest because all she would want is your growth because if you want to grow together, conversations have to be honest.
"At times, it has been brutal too, but then it has been good. If I am where I am today, those conversations have gone a long way." Devisha never stepped into his cricketing world as that wasn't her domain but what she advised him on was life beyond cricket.
"I give her 100 per cent credit because it is not that she gave me cricketing advice but she told me a lot of things related to life. What do I do? How to approach a certain situation? How do I carry myself?" And last but not the least, she kept him grounded at home by telling him to leave cricket at the doorstep before entering the Yadav household.
At home, he is not superstar Suryakumar Yadav but just Surya.
"She told me to not to carry cricket back home. These were all important things that I learnt. You need to stay humble, grounded irrespective of your achievements.
"At home, you are not Suryakumar Yadav, so be normal. After having food, keep the plate in the sink. These little things that add value to your life."
