Mumbai, Feb 8 Nepal captain Rohit Paudel expressed pride in his team’s fearless approach and fighting spirit despite a heartbreaking four-run defeat to two-time champion England in their opening match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.
Chasing 185, Nepal came very close to scripting history before being restricted to 180/6, with Paudel leading from the front in an 82-run partnership with Dipendra Singh Airee that put the two-time world champions under immense pressure.
“Disappointment is there, but at the same time, I am very proud of the team. The way the boys showed their effort against England. That takes a lot of appreciation. I think when we stepped out today on the ground, the only message to the group was, Whatever we have, we'll give 110% on the ground," he said after the match.
"And I think boys have given all that they had. And that's what makes them different. And I'm very proud of them,” Paudel added.
The Nepal skipper emphasised that his side arrived at the World Cup with clear intent and belief that they can beat anyone.
“We had that belief when we came to this World Cup. We didn't come here to just participate. We wanted to compete. And we had that belief in the group that we can beat any of the sides if we play our best brand of cricket. And I thought today we played our best brand of cricket,” he said.
Paudel acknowledged that while the result did not go Nepal’s way, the overall performance reflected the team’s growth on the global stage.
“I think today, overall, if you see the result-wise, it didn't go our way. But efforts-wise, I would give 100% for fielding, bowling, and batting,” he said.
Paudel feels that there is room for improvement in the way the team handles pressure, as they were unable to score ten runs in the last over.
“Yes, I think in that area, we can improve. I thought England was also struggling with the death overs bowling. But last over, Sam Curran bowled really well. So I thought it's hard for bowlers in death overs to bowl, especially in the death overs, to execute those Yorkers, those slow bouncers. So I thought we missed on that part, but at the same time, I think we'll improve from there,” he said.
Nepal will play its next match against Italy at the same ground on February 12. The skipper said that the team is looking forward to the next match and will not take any team lightly.
“Yeah, absolutely. I think we will not take any of the teams lightly. And I think all other teams in this tournament will not take any of the associate teams or any teams lightly. So that's the message. But we as a team need to be at 100%,” he said.
Paudel also put on a heartfelt message to Nepal’s fans, who turned up in large numbers to back the team at the Wankhede. “They are very passionate. If you see today, the whole of Kathmandu and the whole of Nepal came here to support us. And it's great to see them here. And that motivates us. When we went to the ground, we carried your hopes. We carry your belief. And I think today we gave everything. And I think today all of Nepal will be very proud of all of us,” he said.
Nepal is playing its second T20 World Cup after finishing at the top in the Asian Qualifiers.
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