Nepali cricket team captain Rohit Kumar Paudel and coach Monty Desai have vowed to give their best performances against India and Pakistan in the upcoming Asia Cup tournament.
The two made the statements during a send-off ceremony organized by the Nepal Cricket Association (CAN).
Paudel acknowledged that the matches against India and Pakistan would be tough, but he expressed confidence in his team’s ability to compete.
He said, “We know that these are two strong teams, but we are not going to back down. We are going to give it our all and we believe that we can win if we play to our potential.”
Paudel also highlighted the team’s high morale, which he attributed to their thorough preparation.
Coach Desai expressed his optimism for the Asia Cup, saying that the team has been training with a winning mindset for the past 5-6 months.
He said, “We have been working hard and we are confident in our abilities. We have a winning mentality and we hope to maintain this throughout the tournament.”
Coach Desai expressed confidence that spinner Sandeep Lamichhane would participate in the Asia Cup, despite his current legal situation.
He said, “Sandeep is a champion cricketer and we believe that he will join us in Pakistan. We have faced similar situations before when he had commitments in South Africa and during the World Cup qualifiers. The circumstances are different now, but we are confident that he will be able to join us.”
Desai also mentioned that he had heard that Sandeep had a prior commitment during the tournament, but he said that he was hopeful that Sandeep would be able to resolve his legal situation and join the team.
Captain Paudel added that Sandeep’s absence would significantly affect the team’s performance. He said, “Sandeep is a key player for us and his absence would be a big blow. We are all praying for his success and we hope that his court case will reach a resolution soon.”
The hearing of Sandeep’s case in the Kathmandu District Court is in its final stages. Last Thursday, Judge Rajkumar Khatiwada of the Kathmandu District Court ordered a verification of the victim’s mother’s date of birth and adjourned the hearing.
The Nepali cricket team will depart for Pakistan on Tuesday to participate in the Asia Cup. After a training camp in Pakistan, they will play their first match against the host nation on August 30. They will then travel to Sri Lanka to play their second match against India on September 4.
Nepal, India, and Pakistan are all in Group A of the Asia Cup. Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan are in Group B. The top two teams from each group will advance to the Super Four stage.
Nepal Squad for Asia Cup 2023
Rohit Paudel (captain)
Aasif Sheikh (wicketkeeper)
Kushal Bhurtel
Lalit Rajbanshi
Bhim Sharki
Kushal Malla
Dipendra Airee
Sandeep Lamichhane
Karan KC
Gulshan Jha
Aarif Sheikh
Sompal Kami
Pratish GC
Kishore Mahato
Sundeep Jora
Arjun Saud
Shyam Dhakal
