Hailing Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi’s congratulatory note, cricket captain Suryakumar Yadav on Monday said - “bats on front foot.” He also said it felt like Modi himself took the strike and scored runs. Suryakumar’s remarks came after PM Modi said in his social media post “Operation Sindoor on the games field. Outcome is the same — India wins! Congrats to our cricketers.”
“It feels good when the country’s leader himself bats on the front foot; it felt like he took the strike and scored runs. It was great to see, and when the sir is standing in front, then definitely the players will play freely,” India’s T-20 captain said.
He also said the entire nation is celebrating the victory, adding the team will feel even more inspired when it goes back home, to India. “The most important thing is that the whole country is celebrating. When we go back (to India), it will feel good, and we will get more inspiration and motivation to do well,” he added.
“I have decided to donate my match fees from this tournament to support our Armed Forces and the families of the victims who suffered from the Pahalgam terror attack. You always remain in my thoughts. Jai Hind,” the 35-year-old posted on social media after the high-voltage win.
Indian players are entitled to Rs 4 lakh per match in the T20 format, which means that Suryakumar would be donating a total of Rs 28 lakh for the seven games played in the continental event. The Indian team steadfastly refused to exchange pleasantries with the Pakistani side during the entire tournament, where it ended up beating Salman Ali Agha’s men on three consecutive Sundays. Suryakumar had taken the lead in snubbing Pakistan at every opportunity during the tournament.
He also paid tribute to the Pahalgam attack victims and the Indian armed forces after his team beat the arch foes in a group match on September 14. A furious Pakistan had accused him of making political statements and sought a ban on him in its complaint to the International Cricket Council(ICC).
The world body had then asked him to refrain from making any statement that might be construed as political, besides imposing a 30 per cent fine on his match fee of that day. The Board of Control for Cricket in India(BCCI)has challenged the fine on him after Suryakumar pleaded not guilty during the ICC hearing last week.