Mumbai, March 5 Calling it an "unbelievable feeling", captain Suryakumar Yadav praised batter Sanju Samson and his bowlers, especially pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, and credited fielding coach T Dilip for India's comeback, as they defeated England by seven runs at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday to reach the final of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
Normally calm and collected, the India captain said he was thrilled as India entered the final with England needing 45 runs to win in the last three overs. Jacob Bethell had propelled England into that position with a brilliant century off 45 balls, having shared crucial partnerships with Will Jacks and Sam Curran.
However, Bumrah bowled a brilliant 18th over, conceding only six runs, while Hardik Pandya followed that up with nine runs in the penultimate over, taking a crucial wicket of Sam Curran, as India brilliantly fought back to win the match by seven runs.
"It was an unbelievable feeling. Playing in India, leading such an amazing team. Samson knew exactly what to do when he came in. The team needed that from him; it was his moment. I told Harry how much more we needed to score against them. They were always in the game, but the way the bowlers turned the game around was unbelievable. You know how capable Bumrah is," Suryakumar Yadav said in the post-match presentation.
Yadav also praised Dilip, whose efforts paid off as Axar Patel made a brilliant catch and set the stage for another dismissal, helping to get rid of Harry Brook and Will Jacks. India had dropped 13 catches before the semi-final, but there were some mistakes on Thursday.
"We need to give credit to T. Dilip, our fielding coach. The boys are responding well. The players have been going the extra mile, and that's showing. Till No. 3, everything is settled; as soon as we saw Rashid, Dube was the perfect match-up," said the Indian skipper.
Suryakumar Yadav admitted that he was very nervous as he entered the Wankhede Stadium for the semi-final.
"I was very nervous, my heart rate must have been around 160-175. When we entered, the stadium was already packed, and we hoped we could give the crowd a good game," said SKY.
The Indian captain said playing the final at home will bring a different kind of pressure, but added that the players will be excited.
"Playing for the title in India will bring pressure, but the players and support staff will be excited," he added.
