BCCI President Mithun Manhas: BCCI President Mithun Manhas showered rich praise on the Shreyas Iyer-led T20I team following their Asian Games gold medal victory over arch-rivals Pakistan, stating that the side has established complete dominance on the global stage with no real competition left.
India retained their Asian Games men’s T20 gold medal with a 19-run victory over Pakistan in the final held at the Korogi Sports Park on Saturday. “They are by far the best team of the tournament. We have won this title nine times already. We were defending champions.
“The way they have performed this time, it is commendable. We have defeated our arch-rivals Pakistan. I don't think they have any competition left,” Manhas said to reporters on the sidelines of day three of the ongoing Irani Cup clash between Rest of India and Jammu & Kashmir at the Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium on Saturday.
Opting to bat first, India posted a formidable 211/6, thanks to aggressive half-centuries from left-handed batters Abhishek Sharma (61) and Tilak Varma (51), while Shivam Dube provided late impetus with a crucial 27. In reply, Pakistan’s chase began with purpose before India made timely breakthroughs.
Hasan Nawaz kept Pakistan in contention with a combative 51-ball 96, but the target proved beyond reach in the end. Needing 33 runs off the final over, Pakistan were held off reaching it as Washington Sundar and Axar Patel claimed two wickets each to seal a memorable victory for India.
“The way our team handles pressure situations, no other team in the country can do that. This is a very happy day. The whole country should celebrate. I would like to thank Jay Shah again. He was the BCCI General Secretary at the time.
“He has made a lot of contributions to building this team. Not only for the men's team, but our women's team has also won the World Cup. He has made a big contribution apart from men's cricket. I would like to say a special thanks to him,” added Manhas.
Highlighting cricket's expanding footprint across new regions under Shah, Manhas added, “The sport is becoming globally famous. I just spoke about the ICC chair. He had a big contribution as the BCCI secretary. Now he is the chair of the ICC. You can see different teams from all over the world are participating. Every country is getting involved in cricket. It is a good thing that cricket is becoming a global sport.”
In a chat with broadcasters at the conclusion of the medal ceremony, Iyer lauded his squad’s willingness to adapt rather than make excuses. Heavy rains continuously disrupted India’s time since arriving in Japan on September 20.
Following a brief five-over contest in Sano, which they won by just two runs over Japan, the Indian team reached Nagoya, only to see its September 28 quarterfinal against Afghanistan washed out due to rain. They managed to get their first full-fledged training session just ahead of the October 1 semifinal against Sri Lanka.
“If I have to use a word, I would say ecstatic. Since the day we arrived in Japan, it was raining cats and dogs, and we couldn't practice for almost a week. But the boys- the way they prepped themselves, and also how we were doing our training on the side… we didn't complain, we didn't give any reasons (excuses), so that was the sign of a champion team, and today was just the reflection of that.
"When you're playing a final, you want every individual to step up and deliver, and that's what we witnessed today. Abhishek giving us that start, and then Tilak basically finishing off the innings… and then in bowling, Washy taking the charge, Axar being himself all the time, and Bumrah- we know what he has got in his armoury. So, yeah, collective effort and overall I would say comprehensive win."
Quizzed on his thoughts as Nawaz attempted to take the chase deep, Iyer said, "Well, they were cruising pretty well, and they got that momentum in between. I just wanted to see to it that I got that fifth bowler (out of the way) as soon as possible, finish it off, and then (Jasprit) Bumrah was there, Washy (Washington Sundar) was there. The lead bowlers, they wanted to come in as well.
"When you're playing a final, you want every individual to step up and deliver, and that's what we witnessed today. Abhishek giving us that start, and then Tilak basically finishing off the innings… and then in bowling, Washy taking the charge, Axar being himself all the time, and Bumrah- we know what he has got in his armoury. So, yeah, collective effort and overall I would say comprehensive win."
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Article Source: IANS