The Indian cricket team may have started their T20 World Cup 2024 with a bang by defeating Ireland by 8 wickets in their first match but they certainly have concerns regarding the drop-in pitch on which the match was played.
The match was played yesterday at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York and the pitch showed uneven bounce and because of this uneven bounce, the Indian skipper Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant got hit while batting. Rohit got hit on his right bicep when he was trying to play a pull shot after which he was retired hurt and Pant got hit on his elbow while playing a shot.
Many former cricketers including Irfan Pathan have criticized the pitch and called it sub-standard and unsuitable for a big tournament like the World Cup. Irfan Pathan also said that such pitch is unsafe for cricketers and matches should not be played on this pitch.
While addressing a press conference, though Vikram Rathour, the batting coach of the Indian team, didn’t slam the pitch yet he called it challenging and said that the team would need to find a way to deal with it. He said that they are trying to control the controllable and they had an idea about the pitch as they had played a practice match on that pitch. He added that they can find a way to deal with that as they have enough skills and experience in the team to do so.
Rathour said that in such circumstances, toss becomes very important, luckily they won the toss in the first match and it helped them in getting a good start but again toss is also something which is not in their control so they will need to find ways to deal with the pitch and situation as well. The batting coach further said that they will need to bat well and put as many as possible runs on the board if they bat first, he refused to tell a number but said whatever the team can get.
Talking about the Indian batters, Vikram Rathour said that the Indian team has many batters who can bat well on any surface and have the ability to adapt well to different conditions and surface and this has been their strength for a long time now so there is nothing to worry.
The pitch that is being used in New York is a drop-in pitch and it was made in Adelaide for the big tournament.
As far as the match is concerned, the Indian team won the toss and chose to bowl first. Ireland could manage only 96 runs as the whole squad got all out in 16 overs. India chased the target of 97 runs successfully in 12.2 overs as Rohit Sharma (52 runs, 37 balls, 4 fours & 3 sixes) and Rishabh Pant (36 runs not out, 26 balls, 3 fours & 2 sixes) played brilliant knocks. The Indian star pacer Jasprit Bumrah was adjudged as the Player of the Match as he dismissed 2 batters in his 3 overs and gave only 6 runs.
India will be facing Pakistan on 9 June on the same venue.
What is your take on this matter? Do you think that such pitches should be allowed in a big tournament such as the World Cup?
