We gelled as a unit,never took the pressure: Zol

The 17-year-old from Jalna who undertakes his training in Pune was an integral part of India’s middle order in the World Cup,scoring 151 runs in six matches. He said the tournament as a whole was a great experience and the fact that the team was together for two years played an important part in the triumph. “Being together for two years helped us understand one another very well. We gelled as a unit and never felt the pressure,” said Zol.

Zol said he was very disappointed when he got out cheaply in the final. “I had gone in to bat with a very simple plan of batting around Unmukt (Chand) and just playing myself in. However,it just wasn’t my day and I could not score as quickly as I would have liked,” he said.

The left-handed might have struggled in the final,scoring one run off 14 deliveries,but played an important role in getting India to the title decider. From a shaky 98 for five,Zol was the last man out against Papua New Guinea,having steered India to a respectable score of 204 with an assured knock of 72. In the opening game against West Indies,when India crawled to 166 for eight in 50 overs,Zol scored 26 and put on 41 with top-scorer Smit Patel.

The match against Pakistan in which India scraped through to one-wicket victory was a turning point. “Playing Pakistan is always special and after such a tough game the confidence in the team was very high. We knew we were in with a good chance to claim the top prize and that showed in our performance,” said Zol.

Walking in at eight for three,the stylish southpaw scored 36 important runs to steady India’s chase of 137.

Zol admitted that the thought of playing in the first World Cup had given him sleepless nights. But the 72 against Papua New Guinea in India’s final group match dismissed the butterflies from his stomach. “I was happy with my performance in the tournament though I was disappointed with my low score in the final. In the end I am happy that my team won,” he said.

He said the celebrations after the final victory were also quite special. “We were absolutely euphoric after the victory. We just could not stop celebrating,” said Zol.

A special welcome ceremony has been planned for him in Jalna. Vijay’s father Hari Zol said,“Yesterday,we had a huge procession with drums and music and sweets.”