Nepal captain Rohit Kumar Paudel has a tough task ahead: selecting the final 15-man squad for the upcoming Twenty20 World Cup. The difficulty stems from the abundance of talent on display, as Nepal's dominant performance against West Indies A on Saturday demonstrated.
Speaking at a post-match press conference, Paudel acknowledged the depth within the Nepali team. He noted that impressive performances against both Ireland and West Indies A have created a wealth of options, making the final selection a true test.
"Everyone showed great ability," Paudel said. "There's a lot of talent, and everyone performed well. The challenge will be selecting the best 15 players for the World Cup based on who performs consistently in the coming matches."
Paudel himself led by example, scoring a crucial captain's knock. However, he downplayed personal milestones, emphasizing the team effort.
"There's talk with coach Monty Desai that if a player performs well, it boosts the team's confidence," Paudel explained. "Hopefully, this innings will do just that."
He further highlighted the importance of moving on from the team's previous disappointment against Oman. "Today's performance wouldn't have been possible if we dwelled on that bad day," Paudel said. "Everyone played their role, and we chased down the target with the belief that we could score 200 runs."
Nepal's coach, Monty Desai, echoed Paudel's sentiment. While taking responsibility for the team's struggles in Oman, he praised Paudel's performance as "one of his best in the last 15 months." Desai emphasized the importance of consistency, stating, "No one can be judged good or bad based on just one game."
The West Indies A coach, Floyd Reifer, though disappointed with the loss, expressed optimism for his team's future performances. He acknowledged their strong start but conceded they failed to capitalize.
Nepal's convincing victory against West Indies A is a significant boost to their confidence as they gear up for the T20 World Cup. With a talented pool of players vying for selection, healthy competition is sure to further elevate the team's performance.
