When the Indian men's team did not check into the ITC Narmada, the first speculation that arose was superstition. In cricket, superstitions are not a new thing. Players often follow several antics before going to the field. Even former cricketer Dinesh Kartik religiously irons his shirt as a means of superstition. And now the entire team has openly accepted to follow it.

When asked about India's reason to not reside in their go-to hotel, ITC Narmada, the T20 World Cup-winning captain Suryakumar Yadav confirmed that he didn't let anything come in the way of winning the trophy. Speaking to the Indian Express, Suryakumar Yadav said,

“We were on the flight to Wankhede for the semi-final when someone suggested we try a hotel change. Many teams have done it. We didn’t want to leave anything on the table that could take us closer to our goal. So if someone has won from there, let’s try it." 

Well as per the ICC explanation, the team that would have qualified first would reside in the ITC Narmada. India, being the second one to qualify automatically, had to choose Taj Skyline, a place where the Indian team stayed. But anyway, if the captain says so...

Superstitions did actually happen before the semifinal match. India officially announced to come an hour late for the practice at the Wankhede Stadium due to the time clash with the lunar eclipse! 

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The 2023 ODI World Cup defeat was so heavy for the fans that the host stadium, Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, was tagged as a "panauti," or curse. But Suryakumar Yadav is not ready to accept it. He said,

"People were saying India don’t win in Ahmedabad… this after the 2023 final. But look at it now. We’ve won there, in that same stadium. Now we know there’s no problem with the stadium."

Amid criticisms over his batting form, Suryakumar Yadav still managed to be India’s third-highest run-scorer with 242 runs as the team won the tournament, defeating New Zealand by 96 runs. His tournament was a mixed one—highlighted by a match-saving unbeaten 84 against USA but followed by struggles in knockout matches. Critics pointed to his inconsistency against top teams, including a golden duck in the final.