(AP Photo)
Rohit Sharma, captain of the Indian men’s cricket team, acknowledged the challenges posed by the two-paced nature of the newly-laid drop-in pitch at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York. Despite the difficulties, Team India persevered through their matches in the ongoing T20 World Cup, securing victories in all three encounters.
In a notable feat, India achieved the highest successful chase at this venue by reaching 111/3 in response to USA’s 110/8. Key contributions from Arshdeep Singh (4/9), Suryakumar Yadav (50 not out), and Shivam Dube (31) were instrumental in India’s triumph on Wednesday.
“We knew it would be tough. Credit to us for the way we held our nerve and got that partnership. Credit to Surya and Dube for showing the maturity and taking us through,” Rohit said after the match against the USA.
The captain appeared more relieved than jubilant, expressing a sense of relief at successfully overcoming the initial challenge at the global tournament.
“Being in the Super Eight is a big relief — playing cricket here wasn’t easy (as) it could have been anyone’s game. We had to stick through till the end in all three games. We will take a lot of confidence from these wins,” he added.
The Indian captain commended each of the three pivotal players, particularly lauding Suryakumar for adapting his typically aggressive style to play a steadying role in guiding the chase.
“He (Suryakumar) showed he has a different game to him, that’s what you expect from experienced players. Credit to the way he stuck through today to take the game deep and win it for us,” he said.
“We knew bowlers had to take the lead (as) run-scoring was difficult. All the bowlers did the job, particularly Arshdeep,” said Rohit after India qualified for Super Eight.
Rohit Sharma mentioned that given the anticipation of seamers having a significant impact, the team opted to provide Shivam Dube with an opportunity to contribute with his bowling as well.
“You want options and we should be able to use them as and when we can. Today, the pitch favoured the seamers so wanted to use him,” he said.
“(A) lot of these guys have played cricket together, very happy to see their progress. Saw them last year in MLC as well, they are all hard-working guys,” Rohit said while talking about USA cricketers.
