'Country’s leader himself bats on the front foot': Suryakumar Yadav heaps praise on PM Modi after Asia Cup win

'Country’s leader himself bats on the front foot': Suryakumar Yadav heaps praise on PM Modi after Asia Cup win

'Country’s leader himself bats on the front foot': Suryakumar Yadav heaps praise on PM Modi after Asia Cup win Photograph: (AFP)

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After the win, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to his social media handle and congratulated the squad. In reply, Suryakumar Yadav was full of praise for Modi, stating he was the one batting and scoring for the nation.

Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav was full of praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the Men in Blue beat Pakistan in the final of the Asia Cup 2025 on Sunday (Sep 28). In a final played at the Dubai International Stadium, India beat Pakistan by five wickets to lift their ninth Asia Cup title. After the win, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to his social media handle and congratulated the squad. In reply, Suryakumar was full of praise for Modi, stating he was the one batting and scoring for the nation.

Suryakumar Yadav full of praise for Modi

“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 sir is standing in front, then definitely the players will play freely,” Suryakumar told ANI.

“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,” the Indian skipper added.

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After the win on Sunday, PM Modi had tweeted, “#OperationSindoor on the games field. Outcome is the same - India wins! Congrats to our cricketers.”

A well-compiled half-century by Tilak Varma and his useful partnerships with Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube helped Team India secure their second T20I Asia Cup title and overall ninth title, including the ODI editions, beating Pakistan by five wickets in a nail-biting final at Dubai on Sunday.

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Suryakumar-led Team India continued its rampaging run in T20Is, having won 18 T20Is and dropped just two and tied two ever since it first wore the captaincy armband. Kuldeep Yadav (4/30) sent Pakistan into a shocking collapse, from 113/1 to 146 all out, despite a fine 84-run opening stand between Sahibzada Farhan (57 in 38 balls, with five fours and three sixes) and Fakhar Zaman (46 in 35 balls, with two fours and two sixes).

About the Author

Parth Seth is a research fellow at India Foundation, a New Delhi-based think tank, where he studies the themes of development, foreign policy, and multilateralism, particularly in ...Read More