Captain Rohit Sharma of Team India has personally conveyed that the conditions at Nassau County International Stadium where our Men in Blue will battle in their first three T20 World Cup group matches will present challenges for the batters. He further elaborated that fans shouldnt expect scores reminiscent of the IPL due to the unique pitch conditions.
India will play their first T20 World Cup encounter against Ireland in New York on Wednesday, June 5. Before that, the Men in Blue played a warm-up match against Bangladesh at the same stadium, which they won by 60 runs.
Rohit Sharma said during a pre-match news conference on Tuesday that scoring runs quickly may be difficult given the surfaces used at the New York Stadium.
“Certainly it doesn’t look like a place where you can score easily. So we’ve got to be a little mindful of that and see what best we can do. That is what the experience in the dressing room is all about and we have got a lot of that.”
“We are all coming off playing in IPL where a lot of runs were scored, so it’s important to have that balance, understand what is required here. It’s certainly not going to be an IPL kind of scores here, so we are very mindful of that and we just need to assess as quickly as possible and then bring your game into the picture.”
Rohit Sharma
The 37-year-old said that, given the uncertainty around the weather, the squad must find the ideal combination, finding the perfect balance between seamers and spinners.
“When we played the game with Bangladesh, all three spinners bowled two overs. It wasn’t that easy to hit them. And in yesterday’s match (SA versus SL), the spinners also took wickets. No one knows the conditions.”
Rohit Sharma
South Africa defeated Sri Lanka by six wickets at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on June 3. Sri Lanka were dismissed for 77 runs while batting first. The Proteas required 16.2 overs to chase down the score.
“Just going to go and play the way I can” – Rohit Sharma on high expectations in another World Cup
India performed admirably at home at the 2023 ODI World Cup under Rohit Sharma. They defeated all opponents to reach the final, only to lose to Australia in the top showdown. Heading into another ICC event, speculation of not winning an ICC championship since 2013 is gathering traction.
Responding to a question on the strain of expectations, the Indian captain stated:
“I have thought a lot about this thing. I am just going to go and play the way I can and get everyone together to play as a team. I will be focusing on that. Everyone in the team has their own way of dealing with tournaments like World Cup and I’m sure they’ll take the right calls as well.
“But for me, it’s important not to look too far ahead. Just think about what we need to do tomorrow, play the game well and then take it from there. Not think too much and put pressure on yourself.”
Rohit Sharma
Following their inaugural encounter against Ireland, India will face arch-rivals Pakistan in New York on June 9.