T20 World Cup 2026: Nepal captain Rohit Paudel is ‘very proud’ of the way they played against England

T20 World Cup 2026: Nepal captain Rohit Paudel is ‘very proud’ of the way they played against England. (Source – Getty Images)

Captain Rohit Paudel walked away from Nepal’s narrow defeat to England with disappointment but also with a renewed sense of belief that his side belongs at the highest level of T20 cricket and remains firmly in contention for a Super Eight spot at the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.

Nepal came agonisingly close to pulling off a major upset against the two-time champions at the Wankhede Stadium, and Paudel believes the performance has strengthened the team’s conviction rather than shaken it. Speaking a day after the match, the Nepal captain reflected on the significance of competing toe-to-toe with one of the tournament favourites.

“I was very proud of the way we played against England. It was a dream for us to play in the World Cup and play against England for the first time. And the way we played, I thought was incredible. The result didn’t go our way, but still I think we did well. There are areas where we can improve. And there is still hope that we can qualify for the Super Eight,” Paudel said at an event as quoted by The Hindu.

Beyond the result, Paudel highlighted a crucial psychological shift within the squad: the realisation that elite international bowling attacks are not insurmountable. Exposure, he said, has transformed perception into confidence.

“To have that belief that we belong at this level, that’s very important. When we played in the Asian Cup in 2023 and in the 2024 T20 World Cup, we wanted to see how Shaheen Shah Afridi will shoot the balls, how Mohammed Shami bowls… And when you go out there, when you play against them, then you think that this is not that difficult,”  he said.

Playing against England gave us the confidence to do well in next three games better

That belief was reinforced once again against England’s formidable pace unit, featuring Jofra Archer. Paudel felt the experience validated Nepal’s progress on the international stage. Encouragement from England’s players further boosted morale within the Nepal camp. Looking ahead, the Nepal skipper believes the confidence gained from the England game could define their tournament.

“After playing those matches, and yesterday’s matches when we saw (Jofra) Archer and everyone, as a team, we thought that we belong at this level. Harry Brook and a few of the other England players came out and they said that you guys played really well. It does feel very nice,” Paudel added.

“Whatever game we played against England, that has given that confidence to us for the remainder of three games. If we play the same brand of cricket… I think we can be one of the teams who qualifies for the Super Eight,” he said.

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