“It is wonderful to be with the Goa team,” said coach and former Sri Lanka pacer Nuwan Zoysa after his team won the South Zone Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy T20 tournament for the first time with an all-win record.
Earlier in the season, Goa had missed the chance of qualifying for the Ranji Trophy knockout phase by a whisker.
“When we beat Tamil Nadu in the first game, we believed that we could win a few more, and the team did a fantastic job as the tournament progressed,” Zoysa told The Hindu on Saturday.
“We came here to play good cricket. Everyone was told to stay calm and play their natural game. The team plan also worked very well. When each player does his work, everything falls into place,” he said about the team’s preparation. “The players may not be of top class, but played in a fantastic manner,” he said.
Harshad Gadekar and Amit Yadav bowled very well, while Amogh Desai also came good. Jakati went back home because he was unwell, while Keenan Vaz came up with a good show. Sagun Kamat and Swapnil Asnodkar won some games on their own. Zoysa also commended assistant coach Prakash for his assistance.
On Sunday’s World T20 final between Sri Lanka and India, Zoysa said he would naturally support his country, but would bet his money on India since it played good cricket throughout and was a hard team to beat.
