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Despite coming out on the losing side in their match against India, Oman put in a commendable effort with the bat and took the match all the way to the end. After being handed a 189-run target, Oman batters Aamir Kaleem (64) and Hammad Mirza (51) scored impressive half-centuries and formed a valiant 93-run partnership to keep the side in the game.
However, once their stand was broken in the 18th over by Harshit Rana, Oman weren't able to get back into the match and finished their 20 overs on 167/4, 21 runs short of the target. Though the side wrapped up their tournament with three straight defeats, skipper Jatinder Singh still showed faith in his team and showered praise on them for their performance.
He also made a request to the BCCI in order to help them increase their game-time. Jatinder requested BCCI to allow them to train at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) and also compete against club or Ranji teams in order to not only improve their fitness, but also get some much-needed experience in the red-ball format.
"Well, I think if we can get India coming forward, letting us make their home our home. If we can train there, go to the NCAs, train our skills, mental aspects, the fitness part, and play a lot of T20S with the club teams and Ranji teams, I think that will definitely help us, and that will fill the gap. We are an Associate nation. The reality is we do not get to play with the Test-playing nations," Jatinder told reporters after the match.
"So we are so, so fortunate that we got this platform to come and play here. And I am so grateful and so proud of the boys, the way they showed up the character in the current situation. So I think these kinds of tournaments, if they happen time and again, I think a larger number of Associates should be included so that they can rub shoulders and get close, fill the gap for what we have between the Test playing nations and the Associate nations," he added.
Suryakumar's chat with the Oman team
Following the conclusion of the match, India captain Suryakumar Yadav was seen having a chat with the Oman players. The details of this conversation were later revealed by Jatinder.
"Surya spoke about the game and praised us, which means a lot. Our boys had questions on how to play in different phases of the T20 game. It was really nice to have a chat with him," Jatinder stated.
Meanwhile on the other hand, India continued their unbeaten run in the tournament with their victory over Oman. They will now be facing-off against arch-rivals Pakistan once again in their opening clash of the Super 4 stage.
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