KATHMANDU: National team opener Aasif Sheikh was one of the best performers from Nepal against India in the second match of the Asia Cup in Kandy and he received a medal from star Indian batsman Virat Kohli under Nepal coach Monty Desai's "Happy Dressing Room" campaign.

Nepal team members got the opportunity to visit India's dressing room after the match, thanks to Desai's efforts, and three Nepali players - Sompal Kami, Sheikh and Dipendra Singh Airee - received medals during their 'fanboy moment'. Desai has launched the campaign since taking over the helm of Nepali team earlier this year and he picked up three performers from the match against India. Hardik Pandya and India coach Rahul Dravid honoured Kami and Airee respectively. "We had not expected anything like that after the match as we had thought of shaking hands with Indian players and leaving the stadium. But coach Desai made an effort from his side and the Indian side humbly accepted his request. We got to learn a lot from visiting their dressing room, including the kits handling and managing things," he said.

"I felt very proud to get the chance to represent Nepal when a great player like Kohli put a medal around my neck. And Kohli said he also needed a medal for dropping me in the early stage of the match," Sheikh said.

A version of this article appears in the print on September 07, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.