Nepal coach Monty Desai has expressed huge pleasure in playing in the ongoing Asia Cup 2023 as he said that it was a dream of every generation of Nepal cricketers to play against the big teams and that dream has come true.
Nepal faced Pakistan in the tournament opener in Multan on August 30 and will now clash with India on September 4 in Kandy, Sri Lanka in their second and final Group A stage game.
Pakistan has already secured a spot in the 'Super 4' stage with three points, resulting from two points with a victory over Nepal and one point from the rain-abandoned match against arch-rivals India.
For India to qualify, they must secure victory in this match to advance to the Super Four stage. In case of another washout, India will go through while Nepal will be eliminated.
"Every generation (of Nepal Cricket) had a dream that one day they will play with big nations...Today their dream is coming true. We have played the League 2 matches and Asia Cup qualifiers matches. We have won those. We will back our strengths against India,” Nepal coach Monty Desai told ANI.
He further added that though the Nepal players are in awe of names like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, they will be fiercely competitive once they step onto the field. He emphasized that this presents a valuable opportunity for Nepal to establish its own distinct identity.
Nepal's all-rounder Gulshan Jha echoed this sentiment, highlighting that Nepal has a unique chance to gain invaluable insights and experience from facing a team of India's caliber.
"We have an opportunity to learn from India. India is a big team. Every wicket will be priceless for us and we will work hard for it. We had dreamt of a day we would play Test teams like India and Pakistan. We will compete hard on the field, though it is a fanboy moment for all of us,” said Jha.
All-rounder Aarif Sheikh, meanwhile, hopes to net the big fish, Virat Kohli.
"I would like to take Virat Kohli's wicket and want to face every (Indian) bowler. We are playing a big match. We would play it like a knockout match. It is a fanboy moment for us, but we will play hard on the field and continue with our adoration for India off the field. Our players and previous generations have worked very hard for a day like this," he said.
(ANI inputs)
