Team India captain Suryakumar Yadav on Monday praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Operation Sindoor’ post following India’s Asia Cup triumph, saying it feels special when the country’s leader “bats on the front foot.”
India won a five-wicket victory over long-standing rival Pakistan in the Asia Cup final at Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. PM Modi had compared the team's success to Operation Sindoor, tweeting on X: "#OperationSindoor on the games field. Outcome is the same - India wins! Congrats to our cricketers."
On the Prime Minister's message, Suryakumar said to news agency ANI, "It feels nice when the leader of the country himself bats on the front foot; it felt like he took the strike and ran scores. It was wonderful to watch, and when the sir is in front, then surely the players will play freely."
Looking back on the countrywide celebrations, Suryakumar further said the team will take even more inspiration when it gets back home. "The most important thing is that the entire country is celebrating. When we return (to India), it will feel nice, and we will receive more inspiration and motivation to perform well," he said.
Earlier on Monday, Suryakumar had issued a statement that he will contribute his tournament winnings to aid the Indian Armed Forces and the families of the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack.
During the Asia Cup, Team India continued its policy of not shaking hands with Pakistani rivals in the traditional manner. In the final, the team also declined to take the trophy from Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who had filed a complaint with the International Cricket Council against India's behavior after the snub at the handshake.
Naqvi, who is Pakistan's interior minister as well, had put up objectionable tweets about India, citing Operation Sindoor and the recent four-day war. These tweets were not acceptable to the Indian team, and they turned down the offer of receiving the trophy from him personally.
On social media, Suryakumar posted a lighthearted post with teammate Tilak Varma, with a photo of holding the trophy as an emoji. He captioned it, "When the game is done, only the champions will be remembered and not the picture of a (emoji of trophy)."
Read also| Wasim Akram: Rauf Is Unluckily a Run-Scoring Bowler Against India
