Talking about Vilas Godbole, his former coach while representing Mumbai in Under-22 cricket, Suryakumar Yadav said, "When he watched me play for the first time...he whispered, 'Mark my words, you'll play for India'." Suryakumar added that Godbole made this statement immediately after the net session where he was batting. He shared these aspects in Godbole's book 'Cricket Coaching and Beyond'.