India, Aug. 15 -- I ndependence Day may have often found cricketer Suryakumar Yadav miles away from home, but there is one piece of India the cricketer says travels everywhere with him. "This is a little secret, wherever I might be in the world, there is always a Tiranga with me. It is in my kit bag," reveals the 35-year-old, who captained India to its third Men's T20 World Cup title on home soil earlier this year. For SKY, as he is popularly known, August 15 still evokes memories of his childhood in Mumbai: "It was about going to school, being part of the flag hoisting ceremony and feasting on sweets with my friends." The ritual has evolved, but the emotion has not. "Today, if I am home, we hoist the flag in the building with family and watch the speech from the Red Fort. If travelling with the team, we do a small celebration at the hotel. The feeling is the same wherever I am and is unmatched," he says. A few moments have embodied that pride more than India's World Cup triumphs in Barbados in 2024 and Ahmedabad in 2026: "The crowd in Barbados with Tirangas in hand were all singing for India; we players were crying, as were the Indians in the stands." Captaincy, he says, added another dimension to wearing the India jersey. "When I wear it, I am representing more than 140 crore people. I'm not just Suryakumar Yadav from Chembur - I am carrying the hopes of so many people." And what does August 15 ultimately mean to him? "The gratitude to every soldier, farmer, teacher, and all the freedom fighters who gave us the India we are living in today," he shares....