T20 World Cup: Will prepare as if conditions are going to be like this, says Rohit on Pakistan clash

New York: Post a comfortable eight-wicket win over Ireland to get their Men’s T20 World Cup campaign off to a flying start, India skipper Rohit Sharma said his team will be prepared for playing in similar conditions when they face Pakistan in a high-octane clash on Sunday.

At the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday, India’s fast bowlers, led by Hardik Pandya’s 3-27, blew away Ireland on a tepid pitch, offering excessive swing and uneven bounce, to bowl them out for just 96. In reply, Rohit top-scored with an impressive 52, before retiring hurt due to a sore elbow. But wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant stayed unbeaten on 36 in his comeback to international cricket as India completed the chase with 46 balls remaining and gave them their eighth successive victory over Ireland in the format.

They will now face Pakistan at the same venue on June 9.

“I don’t know what to expect against Pakistan, we will prepare like the conditions are going to be like that. This is going to be the kind of game where everyone comes together and contributes. Hopefully, we can come out again and play a similar brand of cricket,” said Rohit after the match ended.

Speaking about his knock and the conditions while chasing, Rohit remarked, “Just a little sore (due to which had to retire hurt). New ground, new venue, wanted to see what’s it like to play on.” “I said at the toss, we’re unsure of what to expect from the pitch. It was all about getting used to the conditions, that’s why we wanted to bowl first and see how the pitch played. I don’t think the pitch settled down in the second innings. There was enough (help) there for the bowlers, but good to get the (two) points.”

Rohit was appreciative of how the bowlers stepped up to do a demolition job over Ireland. “When there’s enough in the pitch, you’ve got to stick to your basics. All these guys have played Test cricket, Arshdeep is the only one that hasn’t, and he took two early wickets.”

“I don’t think we could play four spinners here. When we picked the team, we wanted to have the balance heading into the later part of the tournament, that’s when the spin will come into the picture. We still played two spinners, that gave us good balance.”

Jasprit Bumrah, named Player of the Match for his spell of 2-6, felt being proactive helped the Indian bowling line-up. “Coming from India, you see the ball seaming around, I would never complain when there’s help for the bowlers.”

“In this format, you have to be proactive, you can’t always pre-empt things. These are the conditions and you have to adapt as quickly as possible. We thought the new ball would do a lot.”

“You realise how the wicket is and then go back to what works for you. You want to cover all bases, once the seam goes down it does settle a bit. We’re very happy with the outcome today.”

Ireland captain Paul Stirling admitted it was a tough loss for his side, and promised they would bounce back in their game against Canada on Friday.

“The toss played a really important part in overcast conditions and then the pitch offered all sorts. We weren’t quite up to that challenge and India bowled really well to put us under pressure.”

“We wanted to put a bit of pressure back on the India bowlers, that’s our approach. But unfortunately, we kept losing quick wickets and that stalled our momentum. They are a quality bowling attack, they never seem to miss. We’ve got a couple of big games coming up now and learning about the pitch has been valuable for us, getting a run out there. We’ll be looking to put all that right on Friday.”

–IANS