Nepal’s captain, Rohit Paudel, has expressed his disappointment with the team’s performance after being eliminated from the first round of the ongoing ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup in Sri Lanka.
Following losses against Pakistan A and India A in the first two matches of the tournament, Nepal’s chances of reaching the semi-finals have come to an end. India and Pakistan have secured their spots in the semi-finals, while UAE A has also been eliminated along with Nepal.
Speaking after the match, Rohit acknowledged that the top-order batsmen failed to perform as expected:
“When it comes to our batting, our top order did not deliver. We fought back even after losing 3-4 wickets, with partnerships between me and Sompal, and Som and Gulsan. If we could have reached a total of 240/250 runs, it would have been a good score.”
Although the team’s performance did not meet expectations, Rohit highlighted the exposure they gained:
“We didn’t perform as well as we expected in the World Cup qualifiers and this tournament, but we have gained valuable experience. We are improving every day.”
When asked about the decision to bat first after winning the toss, he stated that it was part of the team’s plan. He also praised Indian openers Sai Sudarshan and Abhishek Sharma for their impressive 139-run partnership.
“Credit goes to them; both openers batted very well.”
Rohit expressed his team’s desire to conclude the tournament with a victory in the final match against UAE A on Wednesday:
“We all want to win the last game and return home with a win.”
India successfully chased down Nepal’s target of 168 runs in just 22.1 overs, losing only one wicket in the process.
