Kamal Ghorui
Former India batter Aakash Chopra has strongly backed Nepal’s rapid rise in international cricket, calling on the ICC and leading nations to move beyond symbolic praise and provide associate teams with sustained opportunities. After Nepal’s narrow four-run defeat against England in Mumbai, Chopra said performances like these should lead to regular bilateral series and tournaments, not fleeting applause once every World Cup cycle. Nepal’s bold run-chase and the sea of Nepali supporters at the Wankhede Stadium have emerged as one of the defining narratives of the early stages of the T20 World Cup 2026. Speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, Chopra warned against treating teams like Nepal as occasional visitors on the global stage.
“I am going to talk about what we are doing with associate or slightly lower-ranked teams. It’s token participation. It’s a lip-service job,” Chopra said. “This is not an appreciation post, that they do well, and then you will remember them after two years.” Chopra stressed that the excitement around associate teams quickly fades once the tournament ends. “They came to the wedding and you forgot them after that. You don’t even know where they are for the next two years,” he added. “The lower-ranked teams have done well in every single game, but that won’t remain the story, as we hear this story once in two years. We celebrate it, talk about it, and then we completely forget about it.” “It doesn’t matter to us at all. We move on. We go to our homes and play our bilaterals and tournaments. No one bothers about them,” Chopra observed. Reflecting on Nepal’s inability to close out tight moments, he said such lapses were inevitable without consistent exposure to top-level cricket. Chopra underlined that improvement will only come through regular competition against stronger teams, insisting that the responsibility lies with the established cricketing nations to engage with associates for the game’s overall growth. England, meanwhile, survived a major scare in their Group C opener, edging past Nepal by four runs after posting 184 for seven. Nepal responded with a spirited 180 for six, falling agonisingly short despite a late surge led by Lokesh Bam’s unbeaten 39 off 20 balls. Needing 10 from the final over, Nepal managed only five as Sam Curran delivered pinpoint yorkers under pressure. Earlier, skipper Rohit Paudel and Dipendra Singh Airee added 82 for the third wicket, both scoring 39, while Kushal Bhurtel provided early impetus with a 17-ball 29. Bam’s late assault, which included two sixes off Jofra Archer and successive boundaries off Luke Wood, brought Nepal within touching distance of a historic upset. More than 17,000 fans, largely supporting Nepal, packed the Wankhede and roared every moment, underlining the sport’s growing popularity in the Himalayan nation. Despite the heartbreak, Nepal’s performance left a lasting impression, reinforcing Chopra’s call for meaningful, long-term support rather than periodic admiration.
