Dubai, Sep 7 (IANS) Oman captain Jatinder Singh has described his side’s maiden Asia Cup appearance as a valuable opportunity to test themselves against the region’s top teams. Oman had sealed their qualification for the eight-team Asia Cup through the ACC Men’s Premier Cup held in April last year, alongside Hong Kong and the UAE.
Oman’s preparation for the Asia Cup has seen them host training sessions in Abu Dhabi and play two games against Hong Kong, both of which they won. “For us, it’s a historic moment to play the Asia Cup for the very first time. It is great to share the field with the Asian giants and just test ourselves and see where we stand in the world of cricket.”
“So, it is an honour and blessing to play the Asia Cup. Personally, the tournament itself has a huge value for us in our careers because as we started playing cricket, we always dreamt of playing against these big giants in cricketing world,” said Jatinder in a select virtual group interaction organised by Sportcell.
Placed in Group A, Oman will face Pakistan in Dubai on September 12 before taking on the UAE on September 15 and India on September 19 in Abu Dhabi. Right-arm medium pacer Sufyan Mehmood believes Oman have it in them to ensure they won’t be easily brushed away by both India and Pakistan.
“Every moment in this match will be historical for us. In terms of preparation, when you go to such matches, you have to be fearless because you have nothing to lose. To showcase your talent, you have to remove the fear factor. Hopefully, we can give both the sides a tough time.”
“Hopefully, it won’t be an easy cakewalk for them. You never know, if you play good cricket, and the way we are playing right now, I am really positive that we can upset one of the sides. I think it’s a huge statement. But yes, I think if we keep playing well, we can create an impact in this tournament. So, we are positive about it,” he said.
Both Jatinder and Sufyan have seen Oman rise from a little-known team to a side which has played T20 World Cups and is now set to play an Asia Cup for the first time. With many Indian-origin players in the Oman team, it’s understandable that the clash against the Suryakumar Yadav-led side will be a game which will serve crucial learnings for them.
“In fact, we had a practice 2-3 days ago, where I met Abhishek paaji, Tilak paaji, Arshdeep paaji, Shubman Gill paaji. So, I know Abhishek and Tilak bhai ji very well. Really excited and looking forward to it.”
“Shubman and Abhishek are top-order batters. Obviously, in top-order, the style of playing is different compared to the middle-order. So, I would definitely be looking forward to have a chat with these guys and understand their game, mindset, how they prepare, and execute their plans,” added Jatinder.
Asked on the impact of deputy head coach Sulakshan Kulkarni in the Oman set-up, Jatinder said, “Our training regime has changed a lot since he joined. It is more of match scenarios now and we are playing more of situational cricket. We are backing each other and do more of fielding, bowling, and batting, which is very much close to the requirements of being match-ready.”
“So, we are training as per the requirements in the game and that training pattern Sulakshan sir has brought into the system. So, boys are really benefiting out of it. We have played two matches from Hong Kong, which went very well as we won both games and that was part of the preparation.”
Sufyan, too, echoed the same optimistic vibes coming from Kulkarni’s arrival in the setup. “I would like to add one more thing – the winning mindset is the biggest thing that we got from him. He says that whatever tournament and match we play, we have to keep ourselves at our top gear. So, that mindset has always been there, but the way he prepares us for that thing, he tells us about it again and again.”
“The way we are working in nets for that, it’s very different. As Jatinder said, the training pattern has changed a little. So, that has given the boys more confidence in their skills and that is one thing that has made a big difference to the players.”
“I am sure he is going to bring a lot of things with which we can improve ourselves. For now, I would say that the mindset, he has revised it in our minds. So, we are training accordingly and preparing ourselves as per that, which has helped us a lot,” he elaborated.
Amidst the excitement of playing in the Asia Cup, the damage caused by widespread floods in Punjab was also on the minds of Jatinder, who hails from Ludhiana, and Sufyan. “This is the time to stay united and help each other out,” said Jatinder.
Sufyan, too, said in the same vein. “This is the time where you have to help each other and stay together, and keep yourself strong because this will also pass. Hopefully, things will get alright.”
–IANS
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