Men in Blue T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's support and enthusiasm after Team India won their 9th Asia Cup trophy, trouncing Pakistan three times in the tournament, walking away with the title with a five-wicket win in the Asia Cup final in Dubai on Sunday.
After India won the Asia Cup final against Pakistan with a score of 150/5 against Pakistan's 146/10, PM Modi, in a post on X, referenced "Operation Sindoor on the games field", likening India's win to the military operation launched in response to the Pahalgam terror attack.
PM Modi applauded India's famous win, saying, "Operation Sindoor on the games field. Outcome is the same - India wins! Congrats to our cricketers."
Speaking with ANI, Suryakumar Yadav, appreciating PM Modi's support, said, "It feels good when the country's leader himself bats on the front foot; it felt like he took the strike and scored runs."
He expressed his admiration for PM Modi's leadership, saying the players felt motivated and played freely with the country's leader supporting them.
"Operation Sindoor on the games field. 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," said the skipper.
"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.
India's thrilling Asia Cup victory over Pakistan took an unexpected turn when the team refused to accept the trophy from Asian Cricket Council Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman. Despite winning the tournament, Indian players celebrated without the trophy, instead posing with imaginary trophies on stage.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav later expressed disappointment, saying, "I feel we deserved it. I've never seen a champion team denied a trophy". The BCCI had previously informed the ACC that India wouldn't accept the trophy from Naqvi due to his political role and anti-India remarks.
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