Team India captain Rohit Sharma has said that conditions at the Nassau County International Stadium, where India will play their first three group matches in the T20 World Cup, will be challenging for batters as well. He added that fans should not expect IPL-like high scores as the surface is different. However, India will play their first match of the T20 World Cup against Ireland in New York on Wednesday, June 5.
Speaking at a pre-match press conference on Tuesday, Rohit said, “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,” he again added.
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However, he also added that given the uncertainty around the conditions, it will be important for the team to find the best combination between seamers and spinners. Notably, South Africa beat Sri Lanka by six wickets at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on June 3. Batting first, Sri Lanka were bowled out for 77. The Proteas took 16.2 overs to chase down the target as well.
“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,” he explained.
Under Rohit Sharma, Team India were brilliant in the 2023 ODI World Cup at home. They beat all opponents to reach the final, only to face a defeat to Australia in the final.
“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 concluded.
