T20 World Cup 2021: "Toh phir bag pack karke ghar jayenge" - Jadeja's hilarious reply when asked about India's plans if NZ beat Afghanistan
Team India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja displayed his humorous side at the post-match conference following the team's emphatic victory over Scotland on Friday in Dubai.
India hammered Scotland by eight wickets in Match 37 of the T20 World Cup 2021. Bowling first, India bundled out the opposition for 85 before chasing down the target in 6.3 overs. Jadeja was the Player of the Match for his figures of 3 for 15.
At a post-match press conference, the all-rounder was bizarrely asked what India’s plans were if Afghanistan went down to New Zealand. In a witty manner, Jadeja replied:
“Toh phir bag pack karke ghar jayenge, aur kya? (Then we will pack our bags and go home, what else?)."
The only way India can qualify for the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2021 is if Afghanistan beat New Zealand and India beat Namibia. Even in this scenario, India will need to have a better run rate than both Afghanistan and New Zealand to finish second in Group 2.
On a serious note, Jadeja was asked what India did to make a comeback after two confidence-shattering defeats. The left-arm spinner asserted that the team did not judge itself on two bad games. Jadeja said:
“We don’t judge ourselves based on one or two bad games. This can happen to any team in the T20 format sometimes. We have been good all over the world over the last two to three years across formats. But we are not thinking about that now. We are looking forward to the opportunities that we have, and we will look to play well, like we did today and in the previous match, in the last game too.”
India were battered by Pakistan and New Zealand in their first two matches by 10 wickets and eight wickets respectively. They registered their first victory in the T20 World Cup 2021 by defeating Afghanistan by 66 runs.
“Toss is very important here as dew changes the entire game” - Ravindra Jadeja on playing in Dubai
India played their first two matches at the same venue where they defeated Scotland on Friday. Following the team’s thumping win, Jadeja pointed out that batting first and second in Dubai is like playing on two completely different surfaces.
The 32-year-old explained:
“We did not panic at all after the two defeats. The fact is the toss is very important here as the dew changes the entire game. If the team batting first, bats second, the same team will perform differently. Because of the dew factor, the team batting first and second seem to be playing on totally different surfaces.”
India will meet Namibia in their last Super 12 encounter in Dubai on Monday, November 8.