'It was very important to take a stand (against Pakistan)... Everyone in the team thought the same'

Can you share how you were handling those last moments of the chase?

I will tell you the truth, I am not lying. I went inside the dressing room after 8-9 overs. I saw the match from inside. I was trying to sit everywhere. I was getting superstitious. I was walking here and there.

And by the time Tilak (Varma)and Sanju Samson’s important partnership was done, it felt better. When Dubey went to bat, I knew that he was capable of doing it. And Dubey and Tilak also had a good partnership.

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So, there was pressure. Because when you are on the field playing, you have less pressure. But when you are watching from the dressing room, the mind changes! Like I started thinking what is going on in the mind of the batsmen, what will he do, all that actually goes on in the mind, so the heartbeat was very fast, Only I will know how fast the heart was beating in those close moments. If I had worn a heart-rate monitor, it would have crossed 150!

You had given a statement that India-Pakistan is no longer a rivalry, but did you ever feel ‘why did I say that’ because the final was very close?

No, if it is a final, it will be close, the final is an occasion, people say it is just another game, but final is final. You know that it is a knockout game, you have worked so hard. There is a pressure but it never came to my mind at all that I have said something wrong. I see my team, when I see them practicing, when I see them playing in the match, then I know what their skill level is, and how they can play in any situation. So, seeing that, I made that statement.

Let’s go to that first no-handshake moment at toss. You are a very friendly man. You meet everyone with a smile. How did you control the urge to shake hands?

It’s not about controlling. Desh ke sath chalna zaroori hai. (It’s important to go with the country). As I said earlier in a press conference, some things are above sportsmanship in life. This was a little ahead of it. It was very important to take a stand.

Your team also didn’t shake hands after that game. What was the mood in the camp?

Everyone in the team thought the same (that they will not shake hands). Surya also thought the same. The whole team and the support staff also thought the same. That if we have taken a stand once, then we won’t change it.

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Don’t you think you have set a trend of no-handshakes?

I don’t know what will happen next. Dilli abhi bahut door hai. I don’t know what will happen with Pakistan in the next game. Anyway we only play in multi-nation tournaments but whatever happens at that time, we will see. For now, this is the moment which we want to enjoy it.

Did the pressure escalate against you and your team after that first game of no handshakes?

No, there was not so much tension there. We came to play cricket and we played good cricket. The result is in front of the whole world. If we had fallen into something else, in some nonsense, without meaning, then our focus would have moved away from cricket. Which did not happen. We were focused on cricket. Whatever the pressure situation was, the players concentrated on the goal and winning was important.

Let’s rewind to the start of the tournament, what did you do to control the outside noise, the pressure…?

I knew there would be a lot of noise. One can’t ignore whatsapp because it’s the mode of communication. But before coming here I deleted all my social media from my phone, be it Instagram, Twitter, Facebook. Because if it’s on your phone people send messages and its human thing to see it. I remember speaking to Rohit (Sharma) and his wife (Ritika) how he cut the noise before big games. Ritika told me that he shuts all his social media app from his phone. I also followed it and it helped in my decision making.

What was the turning point in the final?

It was 113 for 1 and they got 146 all out from there and then at the time of our batting, the partnership of Tilak and Sanju and the partnership of Tilak and Dubey. But if I have to point out one thing, then the bowlers who made a comeback, were 113/1 in 12-13 overs, after that they got 146 all out.

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Can you describe last night and the tournament in general?

A lot was going on because for the first time I saw that there was so much involvement and energy in the Asia Cup. Whenever we have played in the Asia Cup we have played it like a normal bilateral tournament and have left. This time there were a lot of things involved. There was a lot of aggression, a lot of responsibility too. In the end it was fun to play in the tournament, it was like an ICC tournament.

How did you guys celebrate the win, especially without the trophy?

We were in the dressing room for an hour, talking and making fun of each other. A few had an early morning flight too. And then everyone made their own AI trophy. If we don’t get the silverware, it can’t define how we have played our cricket. We did well in all departments. Like Shivam (Dubey) took the responsibility in Hardik’s absence. Small players are made big like that. When you feed them and keep backing them. Until you throw them in the water, how will you know if they can swim in 10 feet depth or not.

You were unbeaten before the final, did you fear that the law of average will get you?

We have remained unbeaten many times including the T20 World Cup. So that trend is also good. If you are unbeaten, that means you are doing something right.

But on a personal level, is the captaincy hampering the batting? Or is it unrelated? What is going on in your mind?

I get a slight start then gaadi band ho jaati hai, (the vehicle stops). It is not that I am not playing shots. I am playing shots too. I have not stopped anything. I can’t say that I have no form. I can only say that I am out of runs. So there is no pressure of captaincy. Now when you see Rohit Bhai, he has batted more openly in his captaincy. It is just that there will be a small hurdle and I will cross it. God has saved everything for the right time.

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What is the cricketing culture in this Indian team?

Like Abhishek and Gil play from the top. So if I am going to play 3 or 4, I will play as it is. Now I will not think that I have to make 40, 50, 100. I will see how I can impact by playing 12-15 balls. Because we have set the same trend in the team. There are 7-8 batsmen in the team and we feel that 4-5 need to do their work to see the team reaching a total where our bowlers can defend it. Ab woh nahi chalega ke anchor karo, last tak khelo. (Now, there is no need for anchoring, play till last). When the situation comes, we are equipped for that. Like Tilak played yesterday.

What message did team management pass on to Tilak during the chase?

Gautibhai (Gautam Gambhir) had sent a message to tell him to just play long and that if he stayed there, the work will be done. I’m very happy for Tilak, everyone saw what he can do.

A word on Abhishek, and his aggressive batting.

Gauti bhai (Gambhir) and I have told him not to change his game. Don’t change your identity as it’s the thing that has defined you. The thing that has brought you here. Don’t leave it. This is your identity. Keep backing yourself and keep backing your skill. And you will make a lot of difference from the team’s point of view. Koi dikkat nahi hai, (no problem) if he gets out trying to play a high risk shot in the first ball. T20 is a high-risk, high-reward format. He took risks the whole tournament and got a lot of rewards.

What’s been the role of Gambhir?

He is a behind the scenes guy. He helps everyone, supports everyone. He was the one who told me to try Shivam Dube with the new ball yesterday. If you see he hasn’t bowled with the new ball throughout the tournament. Gambhir likes to work behind the scenes and will never come in front. He understands the game and understands the pressure situations. He knows how all these things work and I think he was the best man to guide us.

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And finally, how many phone messages have you got so far from last night?

There are more than 400-500 unread messages. There is a message-flood like the T20 World Cup this time.

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