Kapil had his Devils; Dhoni his squadron of reliable soldiers, and Rohit a team of boisterous boys. But you’d be hard put to call the current iteration of the Men in Blue, who ensured that India became the first nation to successfully defend the ICC T20 World Cup title, SKY’s Stars. Falling for that tempting metaphor would emphasise exceptional, singular figures. Instead, Suryakumar Yadav’s men were built around that simple code: team work. Coach Gautam Gambhir said as much in his post-title speech, noting that the “team should always supersede individuals”. This was a team that wasn’t counting on a lodestar or two and, despite being favourites, didn’t seem invincible. There were chinks in the armour, but also a many-spangled armoury of powerful weapons, each of which came good in serial fashion. So yes, the team’s success also flowed from the herculean effort of individuals who, when pushed to the edge, put their best foot forward and turned adversity into advantage.
