Rohit Sharma as the leader of Team India expressed that strategically placing Rishabh Pant the talented wicketkeeperbatter at No. 3 was to provide him with ample time at the crease. Enthusiasts were thrilled to witness the resurgence of this young star in the Indian uniform after a hiatus of nearly 17 months during the friendly match against Bangladesh on June 1.
Rishabh Pant has primarily batted in the middle order for India and his IPL franchise, Delhi Capitals. As a result, watching him come in at No.3 aroused concerns about team management’s possible consideration of the same throughout the competition. Pant retired after scoring a stunning 32-ball 53 that included four boundaries and as many sixes.
However, in the post-match presentation, Rohit acknowledged that India’s batting order is still to be determined.
“Just to give him an opportunity. We haven’t nailed the batting line-up yet, we wanted most guys to get a hit in the middle. Even the bowlers did pretty well. All in all happy with how things went. Pretty much got what we wanted from the game. New venue, new ground, drop-in pitch – important to get used to it and we managed pretty well.”
Rohit Sharma
Aside from Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya also hit a well-paced 23-ball 40 as India posted a huge 182/5 in 20 overs.
The bowlers then really stepped up keeping Bangladesh limited to 122/9 and playing a significant role in Indias 60-run victory.
“He has got a very good skill-set” – Rohit Sharma on Arshdeep Singh
Rohit Sharma praised Arshdeep Singh the leftarm pacemaker for delivering an exceptional bowling performance during the warmup encounter against Bangladesh.
The 25yearold cricketer inflicted critical damage on Bangladeshs hopes in the runchase capturing two key wickets early on to secure final figures of 2/12 across a three over span.
“He has shown us, in whatever games he has played, he has the skills up-front. He has got a very good skill-set (at the death too). We saw it today. He bowled pretty well, swung the ball upfront, and then bowled one at the backend. We have got 15 good players here. We have to see what the conditions are and then see what combination is best for us.”
Rohit Sharma
Arshdeep’s stint in the IPL 2024 proved to be remarkably fruitful as he clinched 19 crucial wickets in 14 matches for the Punjab Kings (PBKS).
Excitingly Team India is all set to embark on their 2024 T20 World Cup quest commencing against Ireland in vibrant New York on June 5.