T20 WC: We have prepared for this for the last one and a half years, says Tilak Varma after India win title
Ahmedabad, March 8 : After a dominant 96-run win over New Zealand in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final, Indian players shared their thoughts on the historic win, which clinched their third title in the event, showing their emotions.
In defence of a massive 255/5, Bumrah used his magical slower balls to great effect to pick 4-15 as India became the first team to win a T20 World Cup on home soil, and defend a world title in the shortest format.
"To be honest, we have been preparing for the last one and a half years. We have prepared to bat at any position for the team. We are up for it and in the right mindset to bat at any position. [The fielding] Actually, when the team needs it, the boys always stand up in the field. Today, I won't say it was the best fielding, but we took some good catches, and (at the) end of the day, I'm happy we won the final. The next couple of days will be a big party with the boys,” said Tilak Varma after the match.
Arshdeep Singh, who went wicketless in the final, said, "I just ran off to apologise to Mitchell. The ball reverse-swung when I threw it, and it hit him. Right now it feels great, but the emotions will sink in over the next 2-4 days. This is a very good team with a lot of match-winners, and the result is a cherry on the cake. As a bowler, our role is to restrict them to under 250 if we score 250, and when bowling first, it's just to restrict them to as little as possible,” said Arshdeep Singh.
All-rounder Shivam Dube, who played a cameo of 26 in 8 deliveries, said, “It was always there to hit some big sixes. That was my role from the first day of the tournament. I always back myself and think that whenever I get an opportunity, I'll hit some sixes. I have developed a lot in my bowling, but it didn't come off in this tournament. Hopefully, we will do better in the future,” said Shivam Dube.
After a poor outing throughout the tournament, Abhishek Sharma came good in the final and scored fifty. He said, "The one thing was very clear, I wanted to share before as well, but today is the best day. The captain and coach had faith in me. Even I was doubting myself. I had never experienced this before; it was a tough tournament. I was just doing my process, trying to take it one game after another, but it wasn't easy. But I love this team because of the way they backed me. It wasn't easy for me because, going through the whole year, I was doing well for the team, but in the big tournament, I wasn't able to. But the faith the team and management showed in me. I got emotional in the middle of the tournament and wanted to talk to the coach and captain, and they said you'll win us the big games. The crowd has supported us a lot even through tough times,” said Abhishek Sharma.
"Credit to all the support staff. They've been amazing. Amazing feeling for everyone to be part of this experience, and I'm sure there's more to come,” said Washington Sundar.
"Feels amazing. back-to-back trophies. Feel very happy for Abhishek, he scored today. We used to keep chatting about what's happening, nothing is working out for us, but yeah, now we've won the World Cup,” said Varun Chakravarthy.