T20 World Cup | Suryakumar Yadav Press Conference – About Harshit Rana, ‘nerves’, strategy
A carefree celebration followed as the young Indian soldiers danced their hearts out to a Bhojpuri track and soaked up the moment after weeks of tireless efforts. The scenes perfectly captured the spirit of the team, who played fearless cricket and celebrated with equal freedom.The wild celebrations came on the back of a truly historic final. Sooryavanshi produced an innings for the ages, smashing 175 off just 80 balls, laced with 15 sixes and as many boundaries as India amassed a mammoth 411 for 9 after being asked to bat. England, bruised and battered by the onslaught, were eventually bowled out for 311, with Caleb Falconer’s 67-ball 115 just bringing down the margin of defeat.Reflecting on his approach in the final, the 14-year-old said he trusted his instincts. “I believed in my ability to contribute in big games and today it happened,” Sooryavanshi said at the post-match presentation. He added: “We didn’t put too much pressure on. We just thought how we’ve done in the tournament, we’ll just follow our progress and play our natural games.”Sooryavanshi, who was named both player of the final and player of the tournament, also highlighted the long preparation for the triumph. “The preparation was good not only during the Asia Cup (which India lost to Pakistan last year in Dubai) but for the last 8-9 months. And only the players know how hard we worked during that period.”Captain Ayush Mhatre said the team wants to continue the legacy of India’s recent success at the World Cup. “Rohit Sharma won the World Cup, so did Harmanpreet (Kaur) and now we have won it. No words for the support staff, they have been so busy for the last many months…support us like this, we will continue to win you trophies.”As the music blared and the youngsters danced carefree, Sooryavanshi’s words and actions reflected the same fearless, joyous attitude that defined India’s march to another U-19 World Cup.