For Sagar Shrestha, the situation could hardly have been much worse. First of all, there was that familiar feeling of having your heart broken by cricket.
Happily, the hearts of Nepal cricket fans are quick to mend. For every last ball thriller that goes against them, there will be another that brings great joy just around the corner.
Plus, their display in getting to within one blow of beating two-time world champions England in Mumbai on Sunday night was one to be unapologetically proud.
It was full of pluck, skill, and audacity – the kind of thing that close watchers have come to expect from Rohit Paudel’s young side over the years.
So, Sam Curran came between them and one of cricket’s great upsets? The player who was man of the match when England won the T20 World Cup four years ago, the player who is among the most expensive Indian Premier League overseas signings ever, the serial winner. There is no shame in that.
There was so much to cheer. But for Shrestha, sat in a stand that had been a pulsating mass of emotion for the previous three and a half hours, there was also that nagging realisation of the pledge he had made.
At the start of the day, he had picked out a roll of card and scrawled on it a promise: for every run Nepal scored against England, he would lose 100 grams. “And I’m going to put every loss on my Instagram page,” he said.
Nepal v England – in pictures
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Lokesh Bam almost lead Nepal to a famous win over England only for his team to fall four runs short at the 2026 T20 World Cup. Getty Images -
Superb bowling at the death from Sam Curran rescued England from a shock defeat against Nepal. Getty Images -
Nepal fans at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Getty Images -
England fielder Tom Banton takes a catch to dismiss Nepal's Dipendra Singh Airee off the bowling of Sam Curran. Reuters -
Dipendra Singh Airee top scored for Nepal with 44 off 29 balls, helping his team reach 180-6 in their 20 overs. Getty Images -
England's Liam Dawson celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of Nepal batter Aasif Sheikh for seven. Reuters -
Nepal's Nandan Yadav celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of England's Jos Buttler for 26. AFP -
England captain Harry Brook celebrates his half-century. He finished with a knock of 53 off 32 ball as England reached 184-7 off their 20 overs. Reuters -
Nepal's Dipendra Singh Airee celebrates with captain Rohit Paudel after taking the wicket of England batter Sam Curran for two. AFP -
England's Will Jacks finished with an unbeaten 39 off 18 balls. Reuters -
Nepal's Sandeep Lamichhane celebrates with teammate Rohit Paudel after taking the wicket of England batter Tom Banton for two. Reuters -
Nepal fans at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. AFP -
Jacob Bethell top scored for England with 55 off 35 balls. AFP
As the sun set on Mumbai later that evening, he had to come to terms with the fact his side had lost, and he would now have to shed 18 kgs.
Chasing 185 to win, Nepal made it to 180. Not quite cause for celebration, but maybe at least one last blowout before the diet starts.
“I will do that definitely within the next three months, and I will post a video,” Shrestha said. “I am definitely going to look up a decent dietitian and a decent gym trainer. From tomorrow, my planning will begin, but today, it’s sorrow and a proud moment, so let’s have some decent food and some decent drinks.
“Tomorrow is a new chapter. I was hoping they would cross 200, but, still, 18 kgs is a decent target for me.”
Shrestha is originally from Lumbini, the town in southern Nepal which borders India. He currently lives in Pune, and he will be in Mumbai for all four of his team’s group matches. He is proud to say he supports Nepal.
“It’s a proud moment, and along with that pride we want to live a moment where – some day – we beat a world champion,” Shrestha said.
“Last time [at the 2024 T20 World Cup] we missed beating South Africa by the margin of one run. This time we want to prove that we are here to stay long.”
That was pre-game. Post-match, he was just as chipper, even despite the narrow loss.
“Hard luck to us, our boys played well, they tried their best, but this is the game of cricket,” he said. “They made us proud. Till the last moment, we thought it was our game.”
The sense of satisfaction in pushing mighty England was the enduring feeling. “It is a very happy moment for us,” said Rajan Singh, Shrestha’s friend who has come from Kathmandu for the England and Italy matches – although he is hopeful to stay on thereafter, too.
“Although we lost, this is not the first time it happened with us. We are the Cardiac Kids [Nepal’s nickname, born from all the nail-biting, last-ball finishes they endure]. We are very used to it, right?”
He predicts run-rate could be a crucial factor in advancing from a group that also includes Scotland, Italy and the West Indies, but he is hopeful for Nepal.
“This is the best team we have got till now in any cricket platform in a World Cup,” he said. “I'm very hopeful.”
The two mates were part of an invading army of Nepal fans who took over the Churchgate area of Mumbai on Sunday, where the Wankhede Stadium is located.
The idea of there being a drop off in the frenzy after India’s opening fixture against United States the night before was a nonsense.
Nepal’s supporters swamped Dallas two years ago during the last T20 World Cup, and that is the other side of the globe. An incursion across the border into India is child’s play by comparison.
Throughout the day, red and blue Nepal shirts were everywhere to see, including in among the thousands of recreational cricketers at the Oval Maidan in Churchgate.
“You can see in this Oval Maidan that a lot of people are playing cricket, from their early childhood days,” Adhikari said.
“We [in Nepal] should be spending a lot on infrastructure building, as well as allowing opportunities for the children who are the future superstars of our country, representing our nation. The push should be from the very early stages.”
And the T20 World Cup is the ideal platform, according to Bijay Uprety, another fan from Kathmandu. “We’re not established, but we are trying to be,” Uprety said of the Nepal team,.
“The main thing is to be consistent at the highest level. That’s when we can show our potential and have the community build up around [cricket].
“The past few months have not been easy for the Nepalese and this is the sort of event in sport that can bring us together.
“For the global audience, we are looking to show that we are a force. Have a look at us, give us more big teams.
“We are trying to increase our infrastructure and the government is trying to help us. By having the opportunity to watch a game in the beautiful Wankhede [Stadium, it is a proud moment for us. We are here to enjoy our cricket.”
