Mumbai, February 8 The calm confidence that India captain Suryakumar Yadav displays in pressure situations reminds US spinner Harmeet Singh of the composure with which legendary MS Dhoni played his cricket.
Suryakumar channeled his experience in the India-USA T20 World Cup opener on Saturday to lift the hosts out of a difficult situation, with his 84 not out off 49 balls proving the difference between the two teams.
"Of course, we had imagined all that, but success came late for him. He was always... I think he has now developed the composure that MS Dhoni also had later in his career," Harmeet told reporters after the match when asked if he and Suryakumar had envisioned the Indian captain's career unfolding this way.
"The flair that he had as a stroke-player, he played a sensible innings and he finished the game and played a proper knock."
"The maturity that players like Virat (Kohli) possess, I played a mature innings and that is what happens with experience and with the kind of responsibility he has been given. He is doing a great job," he added.
Harmeet himself enjoyed a successful return after impressive figures of 4-0-26-2, having dismissed Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel.
"Firstly, it was very emotional, but then it's not just my story. It's the whole team's story, everybody has had that journey, everybody has come from various places, backgrounds, and cultures, and their ups and downs," he said.
"The (bottom) line is that cricket brings us together, and it's a good thing that the tournament was announced a few months earlier so I could get my emotions together," Harmeet added.
The 33-year-old said that USA missed a couple of opportunities, which allowed India to dominate the match.
"Had we not misfielded a couple of times, India's innings could have been finished at around 120, which would have been beneficial for the team and created more opportunities. All in all, I am happy with the performance, but I am disappointed that we could not finish the game," he said.
He also played an active role in encouraging others, especially Shadley van Schalkwyk to bowl short and slower balls.
"I take a lot of responsibility in bowling, I have some experience as well, and I was trying to engage more because in this situation with a large crowd, anyone can feel lonely or under pressure," he said.
"But when a teammate comes around and says 'this was the right delivery', it always helps, and that's what I was trying to do."
"It's cricket, anything can happen with anyone. Abhishek Sharma got out for a duck today. But batters don't have to face the humiliation as much as the bowlers have to," Harmeet said.