Nepal’s cricket captain Rohit Paudel has acknowledged that weak batting, fielding, and team morale were key reasons behind their series defeat. Rohit pointed out the batsmen’s struggle against short-pitched deliveries as a major weakness in adapting to foreign conditions. The team now aims to perform strongly in the final series against Oman and Canada scheduled for October to retain their ODI status. (15 Shrawan, Kathmandu)
After losing all four matches during their Netherlands tour in the Cricket World Cup League 2 series against the Netherlands and Namibia, Nepal ODI captain Rohit Paudel cited not only foreign conditions but also poor batting, fielding, and team spirit as main factors behind the defeats. Speaking to reporters at Tribhuvan International Airport upon his return on Friday, Rohit emphasized the team’s responsibility for the losses and refused to shift blame elsewhere.
“Conditions are one factor, but they can’t be an excuse,” Rohit said. “We failed to play the cricket we needed to with the bat. There was a lack of commitment to the game. I believe that’s why we fell behind.” According to him, the bowling unit performed as expected, but weaknesses in batting and fielding prevented the team from turning results in their favor.
“We were good overall in bowling, but batting and fielding both showed weaknesses. In one match, two or three key catches were dropped. Those batsmen then went on to score 70–80 runs and won the game. In international cricket, such small mistakes carry a heavy cost,” he added. Rohit also admitted the team’s inability to adjust their playing style for foreign wickets was a shortcoming. He noted the major difference between Nepal’s home pitches and European conditions, and that the team couldn’t adapt accordingly.
“Foreign wickets differ from our home wickets. We couldn’t play accordingly. Acknowledging this and improving is what is needed now,” he said. Throughout the series, Nepal’s batsmen struggled against the short-pitched deliveries from opposition pacers. Rohit accepted that the team did not handle short balls as expected. “They continuously targeted short-pitched balls. Had we tackled that better, the results could have been different. Playing international cricket means accepting and adapting to such challenges,” he explained.
Rohit mentioned that although he and Dipendra Singh Airee started well with a good partnership in the first match, the failure to convert it into a big innings proved costly for Nepal. “We got good momentum in the first game. If we had capitalized on that and added 210–220 runs, it would have been very difficult for the opponents to chase,” he said. Selecting star leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane out for the final match was a tough but necessary decision to maintain team balance, he explained.
“Leaving out Sandeep was a difficult decision, but it was necessary for team combination. Everyone accepted that decision with the team’s interest first,” he added. With four losses, Nepal’s chances of finishing in the top four of League 2 are nearly over. The focus now is to remain in the top six and retain ODI status. Nepal will compete against Oman and Canada in the final series in October to secure their one-day international recognition. Rohit said the entire team’s attention is now fixed on this crucial series.
“Our biggest goal right now is to retain ODI status. A good result in the final series will be a major achievement for Nepal cricket,” he said. Expressing regret over supporters’ disappointment, Rohit added, “We are even more disappointed than our supporters. We couldn’t meet their expectations. We will work harder for better results in the next series.”
