"If I was wearing heart-rate monitor....": Suryakumar admits being "tensed" during Asia Cup, calls it "one of the toughest tournaments" played in long time

Dubai [UAE], September 29 (ANI): Following his team's Asia Cup win, Indian T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav admitted being "tensed" throughout the tournament and called the tournament "one of the toughest ones he has played in a long time" given how much things were going on politically between arch-rivals India and Pakistan before and during the tournament.

Surya-led India continued their dominant run in T20I cricket, handing Pakistan their third loss in the head-to-head encounters between these two sides in the final of the Asia Cup at Dubai on Sunday. It was Tilak Varma's clutch, well-calculated 69*, which helped India chase down a modest 147 runs after it was restricted to 20/3 due to an initial spell from Faheem Ashraf.

The tournament was played after the Pahalgam terror attack in April and the consequent launch of Operation Sindoor by the Indian Armed Forces against Pakistan-sponsored terror. Controversies followed right from the first match, when skipper Surya and Shivam Dube refused to shake hands with Pakistan players. The win was dedicated to Indian Armed Forces and solidarity with Pahalgam victims was expressed by Suryakumar. The matter escalated so much that Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) demanded removal of match-referee Andy Pycroft for not letting the handshakes happen and violating the ICC Code of Conduct and 'Spirit of Cricket'. The drama reached its peak after the final, with Team India refusing to accept the trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chairperson Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the Interior Minister of Pakistan and PCB's chairperson. In response, Naqvi reportedly took the trophy and medals with him, and India carried out their celebrations without a trophy.

Speaking to Boria Majumdar on Revsportz, Surya admitted that he was so tense that if he had been wearing a heart-rate monitor, it would have registered a reading of 150-plus beats per minute.

"I would not lie, I was extremely tense. If I were wearing a heart-rate monitor, then it would have marked 150-plus [beats a minute]. The game was going up and down, and that further elevated the tension. I asked one of the coaches how they deal with the pressure sitting upfront and witnessing it all the time. I can walk out and walk in from the dressing room, but they cannot. To which they replied that it is our job to keep the dugout and the dressing room relaxed, so that you guys can go out there and perform. I thought to myself: I wish I could do this too. I myself was walking constantly inside the dressing room after the 11th or 12th over," said the skipper.

The batter went on to admit that it was "one of the toughest tournaments" played in a very long time, and it had more to do with the minimum gaps between games and the great level of competition.

"I think it is one of the toughest that I have played in a very long time, although the T20 World Cup was also challenging. I have been a part of the Asia Cups, but I did not play in 2023. This was not always too challenging mentally, because we were ready to take on any team in this tournament. But the games were so quick, one after the other, having minimum gaps. All the teams were giving us a good time on the ground, playing so well, so at the end of the day, it's sweet that we won. But it was one of the toughest, for sure," said the skipper.

He also hailed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for their support, saying that the board "stood ahead of us and supported us".

"I think it is such a big board, so many players, such a big country. I think it is not that difficult for them, but the support they provide us is incredible. There is a saying that we need somebody standing behind us to succeed, but BCCI has actually stood ahead of us and supported us. It is our duty to repay them by playing good cricket and winning matches," said Suryakumar.

He recalled when he was down with a sports hernia injury before the tournament, he was at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru and could not walk properly and had to tour the whole place in a buggy.

"Indian cricket has already achieved so much, but it is time to do it consistently. It was a hurdle that we crossed in the 2024 T20 World Cup, then Champions Trophy, and Asia Cup. Every year, there is an ICC tournament. So, if you see the facility properly, you will realise how every player will deliver on the ground. Players come in every two weeks to practice, to use the facility. You can see how it is that they are performing in the tournaments, now that this facility has been made for the players. We played T20 after a gap, and nobody looked out of touch, so that's how it is going," he concluded.

Coming to the match, India won the toss and elected to field first. An 84-run stand between Sahidzada Farhan (57 in 38 balls, with four boundaries and three sixes) and Fakhar Zaman (46 in 35 balls, with two fours and two sixes) gave Pakistan the headstart they needed. However, thanks to the magic of spinners Kuldeep Yadav (4/30) and Varun Chakravarthy (2/30) in the middle overs, Pakistan faced a collapse from 113/1 in 12.4 overs to 146 all out in 19.1 overs, with Bumrah (2/25) also getting the final two wickets.

During the run-chase, India sank to 20/3 due to an initial burst from Faheem Ashraf (3/29). However, Tilak Varma (69* in 53 balls, with three fours and four sixes), stitched a 57-run stand with Sanju Samson (24 in 21 balls, with two fours and a six) to bring India back into the game. Shivam Dube (33 in 22 balls, with two fours and two sixes) delivered some carnage with Tilak, solidifying India's hold on the game despite some occasional brilliance from Pakistan. In the end, it was Rinku Singh, who was featuring in his first Asia Cup match, who got the chance to hit the winning runs on the first ball. Tilak walked away with the 'Player of the Match' honours, and India secured their second T20I Asia Cup title and overall ninth, including ODI editions. (ANI)

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