T20 World Cup 2024: Dravid and Rohit impressed with New York pitches ahead of their tournament opener

Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid expressed satisfaction with the pitch conditions at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York, where India will play three T20 World Cup matches, following their first inspection of the ground.

Ovaise Shariff

First Published May 31, 2024, 4:13 PM IST | Last Updated May 31, 2024, 4:13 PM IST

Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid inspected the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, where India will play three matches in the Twenty20 World Cup. During their first visit to the ground, they found the pitch to be "normal and good," likely offering favorable conditions for batters.

The stadium, located in New York's Eisenhower Park, features drop-in pitches for the matches. This has caused some anxiety about how the wickets will behave, especially after a few deliveries from Kuldeep Yadav kept low during a practice session at Cantiague Park, where the Indian team has been training for the past two days. However, the captain and coach are reportedly satisfied with the conditions at the venue.

On Friday afternoon, Rohit and Dravid visited the stadium for a photo session with the World Cup trophy, organized by the International Cricket Council (ICC). The session took place in the outfield of the ground.

Meanwhile, the Indian team had a full-fledged net session at Cantiague Park on Thursday afternoon. Despite overnight rains making conditions a bit wet, the practice session was compulsory, and all players were present. There was no specific batting order during the session, with batters being called into the nets randomly. Rohit Sharma, who will open for India, spent some time batting in the middle of the session.

Virat Kohli is expected to reach New York on Friday (May 31). He was seen leaving for New York at the Mumbai airport on Thursday and should arrive in time for India's warm-up game against Bangladesh on June 1. However, it is not yet certain if Kohli will play in the June 1 game.

On Friday morning, the Indian team will have an optional training session at Cantiague Park ahead of their only warm-up game before the tournament. India will play their league games on June 5 (versus Ireland), June 9 (versus Pakistan), and June 12 (versus Ireland) - all in New York. They will play their last league game in Miami (versus Canada) before flying to the Caribbean for the Super Eight matches and knockout contests.

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