We are less than 24 hours away from witnessing Team India under Rohit Sharma kick start their dream of lifting the T20 World Cup trophy. The inaugural champions, who are enduring a ICC trophy drought since 2013, are firm favorites for the T20 crown this time. On the eve of their opening clash against Ireland, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma spoke on a host of topics shot up by media individuals in New York.
While the Indian team took training session for almost three hours at the Cantiague Park, Rohit Sharma addressed the press conference at 8:45 pm IST. The Hitman spoke on team combination, security and threat in USA. He even spilled beans on the departing head coach Rahul Dravid!
Indian players sweat it out as Rohit Sharma underwent a pre match conference
On the eve of their tournament-opener against Ireland, the entire team is taking a net session. This is India’s second consecutive training session that included none other than Virat Kohli. The modern-day master arrived late in USA and even missed the warmup clash against Bangladesh.
With the Ireland clash ever so close, the designated time for Team India’s press conference, potentially headed by skipper Rohit Sharma was supposed to start at 8:45 P.M. IST.
Rohit Sharma has opined his views on what could be a par score at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York. The Indian skipper feels that 140-150 might be good total at the ‘drop-in’ pitch that has come from Adelaide.
Rohit Sharma opens on the challenges of playing 2024 T20 World Cup matches in the US
Team India captain Rohit Sharma has stated that conditions at the Nassau County International Stadium, where the Men in Blue will play their first three group matches in the T20 World Cup, will be challenging for batters. He elaborated that fans should not expect IPL-like scores, given the surfaces on offer.
India will play their first match of the T20 World Cup against Ireland in New York on Wednesday, June 5. Before that, the Men in Blue faced Bangladesh in a warm-up match at the same venue, a game they won by 60 runs.
Speaking at a pre-match press conference on Tuesday, Rohit opined that scoring runs at a quick pace might be a tricky proposition considering the surfaces in use 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,” Rohit said
“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,” the Indian captain went on to add.
The 37-year-old admitted that given the uncertainty around the conditions, it will be crucial for the team to find the best combination, striking the right 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,” the Team India opening batter explained.
South Africa beat Sri Lanka by six wickets at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on June 3. Batting first, Sri Lanka were bundled out for 77. The Proteas needed 16.2 overs to chase down the target.
Rohit Sharma on high expectations in another World Cup
Under Rohit Sharma, India were brilliant in the 2023 ODI World Cup at home. They crushed all opponents to reach the final, only to succumb to Australia in the summit clash. Heading into another ICC event, the talk of not having won an ICC title since 2013 is gaining steam again.
“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 added.
After their opening match against Ireland, India will take on arch-rivals Pakistan in New York on June 9.