Dubai: Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav expressed his satisfaction following India’s victory over arch-rivals Pakistan on September 21 during the Super Four round of the tournament. The match presented significant challenges, particularly as Pakistan found themselves in a strong position at 91/1 after just 10 overs. However, India managed to rein in the scoring, with Shivam Dube taking crucial wickets while the spinners helped restrict Pakistan to a total of 171 runs in their 20 overs.
Following the match, Yadav identified Dube’s performance as a pivotal moment, noting the all-rounder’s dismissals of set batsmen Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan during the latter half of the innings. Dube conceded only 17 runs in his first three overs before giving up 16 runs in the final over of his spell. Notably, India did not allow any boundaries from the 11th to the 16th over, a stretch during which Dube bowled three overs.
“Shivam Dube’s spell was the turning point, and he bailed us out of that situation,” Yadav stated during the post-match press conference.
Surya defends Jasprit Bumrah after difficult outing
In contrast, Jasprit Bumrah faced a challenging day, conceding 45 runs across his four-over spell and struggling to find his rhythm. The Indian captain downplayed concerns regarding Bumrah’s form, emphasizing that even top players can have off days. “That’s fine, he’s not a robot; he will have a bad day someday,” Yadav remarked.
Additionally, Yadav praised the opening partnership of Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill, who combined for over 100 runs for the first wicket. “They complement each other really well (Abhishek and Gill). It’s like a fire and ice combination,” he added, highlighting the effectiveness of their collaboration.
