India batter Suryakumar Yadav has admitted that he went through a difficult period following his removal as India’s T20I captain. However, Yadav asserted that he has, with time, learnt to cope with the disappointment in order to stay positive and focused.

"Post the T20 World Cup, it has been a little difficult. I don't want to run away from the fact… if you're not honest with yourself, it's very difficult to lead a happy life. To be very honest, it has been very difficult, but then at the same time, during IPL, I was blessed with a baby girl in May. So the focus shifted completely towards her. So the last few months since she was born have been very beautiful,” Suryakumar said at an MCA event in Mumbai.

Earlier this year, Yadav guided India to their second consecutive T20 World Cup title on home soil in March. However, he suffered a massive setback in India's subsequent assignment after the IPL after he was replaced as captain, with Shreyas Iyer taking over T20I captaincy. Moreover, Yadav was also left out of the playing XI.

“The first two months after IPL were difficult, but then I thought, why not think about how I was before. How I started my cricket: when I used to think I want to play age-group cricket for Mumbai, I want to play first-class cricket for Mumbai.

“All these things I chatted with my wife and she said the same thing, that you need to bring back that love and passion for the game, what you had when you were a 15-year-old kid who wanted to represent Mumbai in age group cricket.

Suryakumar will now be seen in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he will captain Mumbai. The domestic T20 competition is scheduled to begin on November 14, with Mumbai set to play all their matches in Kolkata.

“So, that's what I started talking about, and I'm following right now what I did 10-15 years ago, training again, following the same passion for this game, and everything is back to normal. When you start thinking about it and you’re focused to play the sport, you want to do well for your team, and your family things change completely… The main goal is what I used to think before — win the championship for Mumbai.”