The ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 witnessed the rise of Nepal cricket. Players belonging to a country located in the foothills of the Himalayas displayed a few charismatic performances in the tournament that forced cricket fans around the world to pause and take notice.
Nepal's bowling attack dazzled in two consecutive games against top-quality opponents like South Africa and Bangladesh to showcase their ever-growing might.
However, their batting line-up collapsed on both occasions and bottled both run chases. They were in a position of strength against the Proteas as they required just eight runs off the last over with four wickets in hand to win the clash but struggled to even put bat to ball and failed to get over the line by the barest of margins.
Reflecting on their T20 World Cup campaign, Nepal's captain expressed disappointment in his team's batting performance and urged the team "to improve with the bat".
"As a bowling unit, we bowled really well. As a batting unit, we could have done better, especially the top-order batters. We could have batted tighter," said Rohit at the post-match presentation after their 21-run loss at the hands of Bangladesh.
"Bangladesh bowled really well with the new ball and we were under pressure after that. They were asking us challenging questions. We built a little partnership after that, but top-order batters could have done better and taken more responsibility. We need to step up, need to know where to score runs and how to assess conditions," he added.
"In the field and with the ball, we are up to the mark, we need to improve with the bat. This team has great potential. We need to back each and every player and in the upcoming World Cup, we hope to do better. (On their fans) We are as disappointed as them. We could have crossed (the line) in a few matches. It was heartbreaking for all of us, and we will try to make them happy in the coming years," he concluded.
