Team India performed sublimely on Wednesday, defeating Ireland by 8 wickets in the T20 World Cup opener in New York. It was a one-sided match on a tricky surface in New York, with Paul Stirling’s side being bowled out on just 96 after Indian captain Rohit Sharma opted to bowl. India chased down the target in just 12.2 overs with eight wickets to spare, with the skipper smashing an unbeaten half-century.
However, Rohit’s innings was cut short following a blow on his upper arm from a delivery by pacer Josh Little; he was unbeaten on 52 off 37 balls with four fours and three sixes. Rohit’s departure brought Suryakumar Yadav at the crease and even as the latter failed to make a mark, being dismissed on just 2 off four deliveries, India had little difficulty in chasing down the target with Rishabh Pant (36*) finishing the chase with a reverse six off pacer Barry McCarthy.
Rohit opened up on his injury scare following India’s comfortable win, seemingly waving off concerns. “Yeah, just a little sore (the arm),” Rohit said in the post-match presentation. The Indian captain didn’t bother discussing the injury scare further, giving the impression that it wasn’t serious, and that him departing the field was a precautionary measure ahead of India’s highly-anticipated clash against Pakistan on Sunday.
Rohit also spoke in detail about the side’s upcoming clash against Babar Azam’s men, stating that the Indian team will prepare for the game in accordance with the pitch conditions in Wednesday’s clash. The Indian captain insisted that all eleven players need to step up for the game against Pakistan.
“Today was a four-seamer pitch and we still managed to get two spinners who are allrounders. 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 Pakistan game),” Rohit said.
“This is going to be a kind of game where all XI of us will need to contribute. It was scratchy, but good to spend some time in the middle and understand what kind of shots to play there.”
Pakistan begin campaign against USA
The Babar Azam-led side will kickstart its T20 World Cup campaign against hosts USA in Texas. Pakistan didn’t have ideal preparations for the tournament, with the side facing a series defeat against England and also losing a bilateral match to Ireland before making a comeback to beat the series 2-1.