By Vipul Kashyap
New York [US], June 8 (ANI): USA batter Nitish Kumar, who played a major role in his side’s landmark victory over Asian giant Pakistan in the ICC T20 World Cup, labelled Indian players as “some of best players in the world” and recalled how he pulled off a boundary on last ball to force a Super Over against the 2009 T20 WC champions.
In the nail-biting Group A match, Nitish slammed a crucial 14-ball 14 when Pakistan’s four pacers almost took the match away from the co-hosts, and the batter hit the last ball for four to force a Super Over, sending the home crowd delirious in Dallas.
After humbling the 2009 T20 WC champions in their second outing of the ongoing tournament, the United States now have a tough task to face the world-class batters and bowlers of the Indian team next week at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York.
Nitish, who is ready to face the 2007 T20 World Cup winners, heaped praise on Indian players and said the USA side looks up to the Men in Blue stars.
“I was born in Canada and my brother and father have been to India… I love it. I love all the players there i think they all are amazing. They are some of the best players in the world, we look up to them. But we have a job to do and they have a job to do,” Nitish told ANI.
In the final over of the game USA needed 15 runs to win the match and Pakistan’s Haris Rauf came to bowl. The game turned into an intense one, as in the third last ball Jones slammed a six to reduce target. Nitish then showed the nerve of steel as he slammed a four over the mid-off of the last delivery and took the match into the super over as the Men in Green players failed to keep their nerves calm.
The 30-year-old top-order batter recalled the plan he executed to off a boundary on the last ball and force a Super Over against the 2009 T20 WC champions. Arriving at the crease at No.5 with 49 required off 35 balls, Nitish’s last ball four will be etched in the memories of many cricket lovers.
“It’s a very big victory for us as a team. We came out with our goal. We executed well, there were bits of bumps on the way but we finished it off. That’s what we wanted. We want to go to the next round, we know that we are good enough,” he added.
Talking about facing the last ball of the final over, Nitish said, “To be very honest there was no confidence. The first 10 balls I played weren’t very good. All that mattered at that moment was that I needed that boundary and had to make it happen… Wasn’t impressed with the way I batted. It’s all about getting the win. It’s about doing whatever our team needs to do.”
The USA is participating for the first time in the T20 World and hosting the marquee tournament. Nitish said cricket is growing in the Super Bowl-loving nation and the victory is “amazing” for the growth of cricket.
“It’s amazing. I think it’s great for the growth of cricket and the US. Cricket has been kind of staggering and it needs to grow. It’s nice that cricket is growing,” Nitish said.
“To be honest it’s not about what other guys do. Those teams are very fortunate they get to play a lot of cricket, and they get taken care of by the ICC more than us. We just have to play our cricket and when we get a chance to play against the big teams then do the best we can. We dont get much game practice those guys do that’s good for them but we just come and play the best we can,” he added.
The hosts restricted Pakistan to 159 from their 20 overs in reply then the match went into Super Over with the scores tied at 159.
The USA came up clutch, hammering 18 runs in the Super Over. The visitors managed just 13 runs in reply, capping off one of the most remarkable results in world cricket history. (ANI)
Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed of ANI; only the image & headline may have been reworked by News Services Division of World News Network Inc Ltd and Palghar News and Pune News and World News
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