Nepal captain Rohit Paudel did not sugar-coat his side's defeat to Italy in Mumbai, admitting Nepal didn't respect the conditions after a batting collapse left them well short of what he felt was a competitive score.
"It was not a 123 all-out wicket," Paudel said, pointing to a missed opportunity on a surface that was tricky early but still offered value once batters got in. Nepal, he added, were looking at somewhere around 160-170, but batted very poorly and paid for a few rash shots, with his own dismissal proving decisive.
"My wicket was the turning point," Paudel said, explaining that Nepal started well in the powerplay before things started to change after he got out.
Paudel also made it clear the loss wasn't about attitude swings after pushing England close in their opener. "To lift the team from the England game was not much challenging," he said, adding that the group is used to handling highs and lows. But on the Italy match, he called the performance unacceptable: "We are professionals and not turning up for the game was disappointing." Even then, he insisted Italy deserved the applause. "I am not taking any credit from Italy," Paudel said.
"They played beautifully… full credit must go to them.", he further added.
For Nepal, the path from here is steep. They next face West Indies at Wankhede on Sunday, 15 February 2026.
