Suryakumar dedicates India's victory over Pakistan to Pahalgam victims, Indian armed forces: 'We express our solidarity'

India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav paid a heartfelt tribute to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack and also voiced support for the Indian armed forces after leading his team to a thumping seven-wicket victory over arch-rivals Pakistan in the Asia Cup on Sunday.

Surya led from the front with an unbeaten 47 off 37 deliveries while opener Abhishek Sharma (31 off 13) and Tilak Varma (31 off 31) chipped in with important, albeit contrasting knocks as India chased down the 128-run target set by Pakistan with more than four overs to spare.

This was after Kuldeep Yadav produced a second match-winning haul in as many games, collecting 3/18 with Axar Patel (2/18), Jasprit Bumrah (2/28) collecting a couple of wickets each as India restricted Pakistan to a sub-par 127/9 after the latter won the toss and opted to field.

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Speaking to cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar after the game, with India virtually through to the Super 4s with two clinical victories, Surya described the victory as a “perfect return gift” for India on the occasion of his 35th birthday.

“Great feeling and a perfect return gift to India. Human tendency that it keeps running in your mind when you think about it. You definitely want to win it and when you win it, you have it ready. One box that I always wanted to tick - stay there and bat till the end,” Surya said during the post-match presentation ceremony.

“For the whole team, we think it’s just another game. We prepare the same for all the oppositions. That’s what happened few months back. The team that won the Champions Trophy set the tone. I’m always a fan of spinners because they control the game in the middle,” he added.

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Surya then concluded the presentation with a special mention of the Pahalgam attack as well as ‘Operation Sindoor’, which had taken place less than six months ago and had cast a shadow over the continental tournament.

“Just wanted to say something. Perfect occasion, taking the time out, we stand by the families of the victims of Pahalgam terror attack. We express our solidarity. Want to dedicate the win to all our armed forces who showed a lot of bravery. Hope they continue to inspire us all and we give them more reasons on the ground whenever we get an opportunity to make them smile,” SKY added.

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Surya dada winning the match & winning our hearts 💙🇮🇳

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POTM Kuldeep offers a glimpse into his mindset

Kuldeep, meanwhile, received the Player of the Match for the second consecutive game, having previously won the award for his haul of 4/7 against the UAE on Wednesday. And after his performance against Pakistan, the left-arm wrist spinner offered another glimpse into his mindset.

“Simple. Just execute the plans. Just see who is batting and react accordingly. I had my plans and executed them. First ball is always wicket-taking ball, just have to go with that mindset and execute that wicket-taking ball,” the Delhi Capitals spinner, who is the leading wicket-taker in the ongoing series, said during the presentation.

“Batter maybe set but he’s facing me for the first time. Still feel I really need to work on my bowling. Sometimes I feel I use too many variations,” he added.