Srinagar, Oct 3: The BCCI chairman Mithun Manhas hailed India’s latest title triumph, praising the team’s ability to withstand pressure and calling for the victory to be dedicated to the millions of fans who support the side, as well as soldiers who have sacrificed their lives for the country.
Calling India “by far the best team of the tournament”, the BCCI chief said the side had produced a commendable performance and underlined its victory over arch-rivals Pakistan.
“It’s a big day of happiness and the whole country should celebrate,” he said, while also thanking former BCCI secretary and current ICC chairman Jay Shah for his contribution to building the team.
He said Shah’s contribution had extended beyond the men’s side, pointing out that the Indian women’s team had also won the World Cup.
The BCCI chief also welcomed the growing global popularity of cricket, particularly its presence at multi-sport events such as the Asian Games.
“Sports is becoming globally famous,” he said. “Every country is getting involved in cricket and it is a very good thing that cricket is becoming global.”
On the message he wanted to give the Indian team after its latest victory, he said the success belonged not only to the players but also to the supporters who stood behind them.
“It is a very happy day. As happy as you are, I am equally happy and the whole country is happy,” he said. “But this victory, I think, should be dedicated to the thousands and crores of fans who pray for the Indian team and especially to those soldiers who have sacrificed for the country.”
Assessing India’s batting performance, the BCCI chief highlighted the contributions of Tilak Varma and Abhishek Sharma, while stressing that the team’s success was built around collective effort.
“This is a team sport,” he said. “As you said, Tilak Varma batted very well. Along with him, Abhishek Sharma also set the tone of the game.”
“Openers basically set the tone. The middle order finishes the game,” he added, praising India’s overall batting performance as well as its bowling attack for defending the total as a unit.
Speaking in Kashmir, he also singled out Jammu and Kashmir’s growing contribution to Indian cricket, referring to Aaqib Nabi, who hails from Baramulla.
“I had said in an interview a few days before the West Indies (series) that Aaqib Nabi, who comes from Baramulla, has reached here after working very hard,” he said.
He said the BCCI had provided full support to the Jammu and Kashmir cricket association and would continue to do so.
“We want cricket to flourish in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh and we want more and more players to emerge,” he said.
Pointing to the ongoing cricket competition involving J&K, he said the improvement in the region’s cricketing standards was already visible.
“You can see how the level of J&K cricket has gone up,” he said. “The hope in the coming days is that more players will come through because there is a lot of talent here. It only needs to be nurtured and they need to be backed.”
