(ICC Credit)
On June 6th, Vikram Rathour, the batting coach, expressed confidence in India’s batsmen, stating that they possess the requisite abilities and know-how to handle the complexities of playing on a demanding New York pitch. This affirmation came following India’s triumph over Ireland in the Twenty20 World Cup.
Rohit Sharma, the captain of India, showcased exemplary leadership by delivering an impressive half-century, leading his team to a convincing eight-wicket win against Ireland in their inaugural group stage encounter.
Nevertheless, the batters faced a challenging task as the drop-in pitch at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium provided substantial movement and bounce. This resulted in a low-scoring affair, with Ireland being dismissed for 96 runs with four overs remaining.
“It was a challenging wicket and we were expecting a challenging wicket because we played a practice game here. So, we knew what to expect,” Rathour told reporters.
“It is what it is. We need to find a way to deal with it and I think we have enough skills in the team and enough experience in the team to deal with it. We should be fine…
“We have enough good batters who can manage to bat well on any kind of surface. I think that has been our strength for many, many years. I think we can adapt really well to different conditions.”
In its two World Cup matches hosted thus far, the New York stadium has witnessed limited scoring, as evidenced by South Africa’s victory over Sri Lanka by six wickets earlier in the week. Sri Lanka’s innings saw them registering their lowest-ever T20I score of 77 before being dismissed. The pitch has sparked widespread criticism, including remarks from former England captain Michael Vaughan on social media platform X.”Trying to sell the game in the States is great. Love it.
“But for players to have to play on this sub standard surface in New York is unacceptable. You work so hard to make it to the then have to play on this.”
Mickey Arthur, the former head coach of Australia and Pakistan, shared his thoughts on social media platform X, stating:”This pitch in New York is very poor!”
In the upcoming fixture, Canada is set to compete against Ireland on Friday, followed by a highly anticipated clash between traditional rivals India and Pakistan on June 9th at the stadium. The World Cup, scheduled from June 1st to 29th, is jointly hosted by the United States and West Indies.
