Birthday boy and skipper Suryakumar Yadav had more than one reason to celebrate on Sunday. After leading India to a commanding seven-wicket win over Pakistan in their Asia Cup Group A clash in Dubai, Surya used the post-match presentation to send out a message of solidarity with the armed forces.
'(This is) a perfect occasion, taking the time out, we stand by the victims of the families of Pahalgam. We express our solidarity. Want to dedicate the win to all our armed forces. 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,' Surya said.
On turning the victory into a personal gift, the captain smiled: '(Winning this match is a) Great feeling and a perfect return gift to India. It (win is a return gift) is human tendency and keeps running through your mind when you think about it. You definitely want to win it and when you win it, you have it ready.'
For Surya, the sweetest part of the win was finishing the job himself. 'One box that I always wanted to tick -- stay there and bat till the end,' he said.
But he was quick to downplay the hype around facing Pakistan. 'For the whole team, we think it's just another game. We prepare the same for all the oppositions,' he explained.
The skipper also tipped his hat to India’s spinners, pointing out how their influence had only grown since the Champions Trophy.
'That's what happened few months back. The team that won the CT set the tone. I'm always a fan of spinners because they control the game in the middle.'