India skipper Rohit Sharma is likely to recover from a bruised bicep in time ahead of the high-octane T20 World Cup 2024 clash against Pakistan on Sunday (June 9).
However, the excitement for the marquee clash has been overshadowed by the disconcerting bounce on the new drop-in pitch at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York.
During India’s campaign opener against Ireland at the same venue on Wednesday (June 5), Rohit slammed a stunning half-century before being forced to retire hurt after a delivery from Ireland pacer Joshua Little bounced unexpectedly high, causing him to miss a pull shot and get hit on the bicep of his right arm.
While the injury is not considered serious, with Rohit expected to feature in the next two practice sessions, the nature of the pitch has raised significant safety concerns.
"Rohit's injury isn't serious. He himself said that it's a bit sore. He should be okay for the Pakistan game as of now," A senior BCCI source provided an update on the Indian captain’s condition, as quoted by TOI.
It took the Indian bowlers just 16 overs to bundle out Ireland for a mere 96 after Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to field first. No Irish batters managed to touch the 30-run mark. Gareth Delany was the top scorer with 26 off 14 balls.
Ireland's Harry Tector had to undergo a mandatory concussion test after being hit by a Jasprit Bumrah delivery.
No wonder, cricket experts have raised concerns about the playing surface at the newly constructed stadium in New York.
"It is actually a very fresh pitch. There is a fair grass cover but along with it are big cracks. So it will seam but also take off from length. Now when you have a fresh track like this, you first try out a few games like you do beta testing with a new app. Then you release it in the market. It is not a T20 wicket and all four tracks look the same," TOI quoted a source close to the Indian team as saying.
Despite these concerns, the Indian team management is unlikely to file an official complaint about the track. However, the discomfort and displeasure are evident, especially after the pitch conditions led to dangerous deliveries during the India versus Ireland match.
"One should be glad that nothing serious happened to Rohit and Rishabh (Pant). They are fine," the source added.
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan didn’t mince his words as he criticized the pitch on Star Sports, saying, "Look, we definitely want to promote cricket in America, but this pitch is not safe for players. If we had a pitch like this in India, a match would never be played there again for a very long time. This pitch is definitely not good. I mean, we are talking about the World Cup here, not even a bilateral series."
(With TOI Inputs)
