Dubai [UAE], September 15 (ANI): Following his side’s win over Pakistan in their Asia Cup clash, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav reflected on finally getting some runs under his belt against the arch-rivals, admitted that while there was pressure, there is no fun playing without it, and it felt good staying till the end.
Heading into the match, Suryakumar had only 64 runs in five innings against Pakistan at an average of 12.80 with a best score of 18, but this time around, in a high-pressure match given serious political tensions between both nations, the captain played one of his most important knocks ever, scoring a well-compiled 47* in 37 during the run-chase of 128 runs.
Speaking about any pressure of scoring before the match, Suryakumar admitted that whenever one plays, he does feel pressure, but there is no fun without it.
“When you play against any team, you face pressure. But without pressure, where is the fun? If you do not get butterflies in the stomach, you would not feel as much fun overcoming those. Numbers could be up and down, but what you can do? It is a game, you can try to get better. Had it been bad today, I would have gone back to the drawing board and tried to get better. But it felt good to finish the match, it was important to stay there till the end,” he said during the post-match presser.
Suryakumar also said that except for openers, the team management has passed on the message to the batting group to be as flexible to play at any spot as possible.
“In T20Is, when you play seven batters, everyone needs to make a small impact, and this has been accepted well. If batters become flexible to bat at any spot, the team becomes even more dangerous,” he added.
Suryakumar was also happy with the performances of spinners, saying that on his 35th birthday, he gave them a “return gift” by letting Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and Varun Chakravarthy to complete their quota of four overs each.
“They are practicing and working really hard. You must see how well they are prepared. They are clear with their plans. It makes my job easy. They are happy with the field, the ends they are bowling on. It is good to see our three spinners firing and well supported by Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah,” he added.
“Kuldeep, I know, was with the Test side in England, but did not get a chance to play. But he was working really hard, on his bowling and fitness. And you can see it. He won us two games,” he continued, praising the spinners.
On using pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah for three overs during the powerplay phase, Suryakumar said that the team wants to use him as an “attacking option”.
“Everyone knows how world-class Bumrah is. He has bowled one or two overs in the powerplay, but never three, we wanted to try that. We are using him as an attacking option. If he picks two wickets or bowls a tight spell, then later we have all the cushion for spinners to come over and make our jobs easier. Management and I want to use him as an attacking option. It gives a platform to Hardik and Shivam Dube to bowl crucial overs in the middle and at death,” he said.
Speaking on left-arm spinner Axar’s fine bowling performances, as he picked up two wickets for 18 runs in four overs, Surya hailed him as an “experienced campaigner” who knows his plans well.
“In practice, he bowls a lot to left-handers, which is a proper match-up. When he bowls to right-handers, he has his own plans. I am really happy with that. His batting, you saw in the Champions Trophy, he was really well used by team management. I am sure he will grab the opportunity with both hands with the bat if he gets one,” he concluded.
Coming to the match, Pakistan won the toss and opted to bat first and were reduced to 6/2. A 39-run stand between Sahibzada Farhan (40 in 44 balls, with a four and three sixes) and Fakhar Zaman (17 in 15 balls, with three fours) stabilised the innings a bit, but India reduced Pakistan to 97/8. A late blitz from Shaheen Shah Afridi (33* in 16 balls, with four sixes) took them to 127/9 in 20 overs.
Kuldeep Yadav (3/18) was the pick of the bowlers for India, with Axar Patel (2/18) and Bumrah (2/28) getting two wickets. Hardik got one wicket.
During the run-chase, India lost two wickets within the powerplay, with Abhishek Sharma’s fine cameo of 31 (in 13 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes) giving India a solid headstart. Later, a 56-run stand between Suryakumar (47* in 37 balls, with five fours and a six) and Tilak Varma (31 in 31 balls, with two fours) brought back some stability. It was Suryakumar who did the majority of the striking later, sticking around with Shivam Dube (10*) tlll the end and taking India to a win with seven wickets and 25 balls left.
Kuldeep Yadav won the ‘Player of the Match’ award for his spell. Now, India is at the top of Group A with two wins in two matches. (ANI)
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