NEW DELHI: India captain Rohit Sharma was not pleased with the disconcerting bounce on the new drop-in pitch at Nassau County ground, which left him with a bruised right bicep ahead of the crucial T20 World Cup game against Pakistan in New York on Sunday.
However, key pacer Jasprit Bumrah might appreciate such conditions, which are rarely found back home in India.
Rohit scored 52 off 37 balls before being forced to retire hurt after a delivery from Ireland pacer Josh Little bounced unexpectedly high, causing him to miss a pull shot and get hit on the bicep of his right arm.
“Yeah, just a little sore (the arm). I said it at the toss as well. Quite unsure of what to expect from the pitch. Not aware of what it is to play on a pitch that’s five months old,” Rohit said with a straight face at the presentation ceremony.
But, the irritation caused by the variable bounce, resulting in the ball kicking from length, did indeed seem to bother him.
“I don’t think the wicket settled down even when we batted second. There was enough for the bowlers,” the Indian skipper said as his pace quartet had Ireland bowled out for 96 in 16 overs.
With three out of his four pacers having ample Test experience, the conditions were just what the doctor ordered.
“Try to hit those lengths consistently. That’s pretty much what you have got to do. All these guys have played a lot of Test cricket. Arshdeep is the only guy who hasn’t. His two wickets upfront set the tone for us.”
Bringing four spinners, Rohit isn’t certain if they will be needed in New York, at least for the upcoming match.
“Don’t think we can play four spinners here (laughs). When we picked the team, we wanted to have the balance. If conditions are there for seamers, we wanted to have that. Spin will play a part later on (West Indies).
“Today was a four-seamer pitch and we still managed to get two spinners who are all-rounders.”
However, the Indian skipper isn’t certain about what will be on offer during Sunday’s game against Pakistan.
“I don’t know what to expect from the pitch to be honest. We will prepare as if the conditions are going to be like this (for the Pakistan game). This is going to be a kind of game where all of us will need to contribute.”
Regarding his own innings, he was pleased to begin the tournament on a positive note.
“It was scratchy, but good to spend some time in the middle and understand what kind of shots to play there.”
Bumrah, who recorded figures of 2/6 in 3 overs, understandably has no complaints about the conditions.
“Coming from India, with the ball seaming around, I wouldn’t complain when there’s help for bowlers. In this format, you have to adapt to the conditions, you have to be proactive,” he said.
“Trying to stick to the plans and trying to go back to what has worked for me. You always want to cover all the bases in these conditions. You got to be prepared, very happy with the outing today.”
Ireland skipper Paul Stirling acknowledged that the Indian team’s performance left little opportunity for his side to take risks and play aggressive shots during the match.
“We needed to put a bit of pressure back on the Indian bowlers. They didn’t really miss that often. Their groupings and lengths were outstanding.”
(With PTI inputs)
However, key pacer Jasprit Bumrah might appreciate such conditions, which are rarely found back home in India.
Rohit scored 52 off 37 balls before being forced to retire hurt after a delivery from Ireland pacer Josh Little bounced unexpectedly high, causing him to miss a pull shot and get hit on the bicep of his right arm.
“Yeah, just a little sore (the arm). I said it at the toss as well. Quite unsure of what to expect from the pitch. Not aware of what it is to play on a pitch that’s five months old,” Rohit said with a straight face at the presentation ceremony.
But, the irritation caused by the variable bounce, resulting in the ball kicking from length, did indeed seem to bother him.
“I don’t think the wicket settled down even when we batted second. There was enough for the bowlers,” the Indian skipper said as his pace quartet had Ireland bowled out for 96 in 16 overs.
With three out of his four pacers having ample Test experience, the conditions were just what the doctor ordered.
“Try to hit those lengths consistently. That’s pretty much what you have got to do. All these guys have played a lot of Test cricket. Arshdeep is the only guy who hasn’t. His two wickets upfront set the tone for us.”
Bringing four spinners, Rohit isn’t certain if they will be needed in New York, at least for the upcoming match.
“Don’t think we can play four spinners here (laughs). When we picked the team, we wanted to have the balance. If conditions are there for seamers, we wanted to have that. Spin will play a part later on (West Indies).
“Today was a four-seamer pitch and we still managed to get two spinners who are all-rounders.”
However, the Indian skipper isn’t certain about what will be on offer during Sunday’s game against Pakistan.
“I don’t know what to expect from the pitch to be honest. We will prepare as if the conditions are going to be like this (for the Pakistan game). This is going to be a kind of game where all of us will need to contribute.”
Regarding his own innings, he was pleased to begin the tournament on a positive note.
“It was scratchy, but good to spend some time in the middle and understand what kind of shots to play there.”
Bumrah, who recorded figures of 2/6 in 3 overs, understandably has no complaints about the conditions.
“Coming from India, with the ball seaming around, I wouldn’t complain when there’s help for bowlers. In this format, you have to adapt to the conditions, you have to be proactive,” he said.
“Trying to stick to the plans and trying to go back to what has worked for me. You always want to cover all the bases in these conditions. You got to be prepared, very happy with the outing today.”
Ireland skipper Paul Stirling acknowledged that the Indian team’s performance left little opportunity for his side to take risks and play aggressive shots during the match.
“We needed to put a bit of pressure back on the Indian bowlers. They didn’t really miss that often. Their groupings and lengths were outstanding.”
(With PTI inputs)