Suryakumar cited the recent skewed outcomes in India’s favor following the team’s decisive six-wicket victory in Dubai, their seventh consecutive triumph over Pakistan in the white-ball contests.
“I feel we should stop asking this question on [India-Pakistan] rivalry, whether a team plays good cricket or not,” Suryakumar said. “According to me, if two teams are playing 15-20 matches and if it is 7-all or someone is ahead 8-7, then that is called playing good cricket and that is called rivalry. 13-0, 10-1, I don’t know what the stats are. But this is not a rivalry anymore.”
In the pre-match press conference, Suryakumar had made a similar reference. “If we talk about rivalry, I don’t know what kind of rivalry you are talking about,” he said when asked about the rivalry, emphasizing that it is more evident in packed stadiums than in cricket itself. I feel like the stadium is packed after getting on the ground. He said, “I tell my team and everyone that it’s time for entertainment when the stadium is full.”
Regarding the Super Four match, Suryakumar was unambiguous about India’s superiority. “I feel we played better cricket than them between 7 to 15 [overs] and also from a bowling point of view,” he stated.
“According to me, since we last played on 14th [September], the wicket has become better. Today it was a little better for batting and it was a little hard as well. I think the team that plays well in 7-15 will always have an upper hand.”
However, India did not have a fantastic day. In the same area of the ground, they missed four catches. They haven’t scored as many in a Twenty20 International since they played Pakistan at the MCG in the 2022 T20 World Cup. However, Suryakumar stated that India has played and practiced there frequently enough that the Ring of Fire floodlights in Dubai cannot be used as an excuse.
“But it’s totally part of the game and I am okay with it,” Suryakumar remarked jokingly, “but I think the fielding coach has already sent an email to the boys who had a little butter on their hands to come to the office tomorrow or the day after.” Since we will be playing more important games in the future, it is fortunate that it occurred in the first game. It’s a part of the game, though, so it’s okay.
Here, we have a few sessions. We practiced fielding a much. It cannot be a justification. It’s gone if the catches are gone. We start over from scratch. After another successful session, we return to play the game.
In the Super 4 match, India chose to bowl first. Even though there hasn’t been much of a difference in the circumstances over the two Asia Cup innings in Dubai, the captain of India still thought it would be a little better to bat in the second innings.
“According to me, the decision I took [to bowl first at the toss] was because I thought the wicket would remain the same for the entire 40 overs. And it was the same. There wasn’t much of a break afterwards. And the wicket always plays better in lights.”
