Suryakumar Yadav Praises PM Modi: ‘When Country’s Leader Bats On Front Foot…’ | Cricket News

Indian men’s cricket captain Suryakumar Yadav on Monday praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for ‘batting on the front foot’ against Pakistan, saying that his leadership boosted the cricketers’ confidence and made them play more ‘freely’. He was speaking a day after his team secured a five-wicket win over Pakistan in the final of the 2025 Asia Cup at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Only minutes after India completed the win with Rinku Singh hitting the winning boundary in the last over, PM Modi took to social media to call it ‘Operation Sindoor on the game’s field’. He related the cricket triumph to the country’s army operation in May, where they tactically struck down terror infrastructure in Pakistan in retaliation for the Pahlgam attack in Kashmir, where gunmen brutally killed 26 Indians.

“It feels good when the country’s leader himself bats on the front foot; it felt like he took the strike and scored runs,” Suryakumar told news agency ANI. “It was great to see, and when Sir is standing in front, then the players will automatically play freely… The most important thing is that the whole country is celebrating. When we go back (to India), it will feel even better, and we will get more inspiration and motivation to do well,” he added.

Earlier, just past midnight after the match, Suryakumar dedicated his match fees to the Indian armed forces. India beat Pakistan three times in the tournament and dedicated the group-stage one to the army and the victims of the Pahalgam attack, too.

‘The real trophy is people’s hearts’: Suryakumar Yadav

The Men in Blue didn’t lose any other games in the tournament either. But they didn’t get to celebrate with the trophy. India refused to accept the silverware from Asian Cricket Council chairman and Pakistan’s interior minister Mohsin Naqvi, who then retaliated by taking the trophy with him.

Suryakumar, though, was the least bothered by it.

“It was a very good feeling. When you win a tournament unbeaten, you feel very good. It was a very good feeling for the entire team, for the entire country, and it was a lot of fun. We came and sat together last night, took some time out, and we had a lot of fun. I won’t call it a controversy. You must have seen the photos that everyone has put up; a trophy was there. But the real trophy is people’s hearts, the players’ trust, the support staff’s trust, and the trust of the people behind the scenes. That’s the real trophy. This was a silverware, that’s fine, but the people who work hard on the ground are the real trophies,” he added.