Sipu Jha
NEW DELHI: Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar praised Italy after their historic first-ever T20 World Cup victory, celebrating how the game is spreading to new nations.“Congratulations to Italy on their first-ever T20 World Cup win, and in such commanding fashion! A proud footballing nation making its mark in cricket reminds us how beautifully the game is spreading across the globe,” Tendulkar wrote on X.
Italy, better known for football, stunned Nepal with a dominant 10-wicket win at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium. Making their World Cup debut, Italy bowled Nepal out for just 123 runs, thanks to brilliant spells from spinners Crishan Kalugamage and Ben Manenti. The Italian openers, brothers Justin and Anthony Mosca, then chased down the target with ease, hitting boundaries at will and finishing the match with plenty of balls to spare.For Italy, this was a special moment after losing their first match to Scotland. Stand-in captain Harry Manenti called the win a dream come true. “It’s pretty extraordinary really. It’s something a lot of people in Italy, a lot of people in this group, have dreamed of,” he said. “We didn’t quite nail it the other day but we backed up today and showed the world what we’ve got.”Player of the match Kalugamage said the victory meant a lot to him and his teammates. “I always wanted to help the team to win a match and do my best for my nation, Italy — I’m happy,” he said. “These are my brothers. I’m really happy,” he added.Nepal captain Rohit Paudel admitted his team fell short but praised Italy’s performance. “We need to be more consistent and today was the day to prove that, but not taking away the credit from Italy,” he said. “They played really well today and credit must go to them,” he stated.The win pushed Italy up the group table and showed that even new cricket nations can make a big impact on the world stage.
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