Indian captain Rohit Sharma speaking at a press conference at the Cantiague Park in New York, ahead of their match against Pakistan in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, on June 08, 2024 .
| Photo Credit: DEEPAK KR
Rohit Sharma did not agree with suggestions that the Indian team’s familiarity with conditions here counts as an advantage over Pakistan.
India has played two matches at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, while Pakistan only had a nets session here on Saturday.
“New York is not our house. We have only spent four to six days here. It rained for three days and we did not practice. We don’t know what pitch we will get, and we don’t know how it will play,” Rohit said on the eve of the India-Pakistan Group-A clash here.
There were chuckles in the press conference hall when Rohit spoke about his interaction with the pitch curator.
“The curator was confused about how the track will play; how much grass to remove or leave on. If the pitch curator is confused, then imagine how confused we players are,” Rohit said.
The pitch might be a minefield, but that is no reason for batters to give up without a fight, Rohit said.
“It is tough, but that is where experience counts. The reason they are representing the country is because they are mentally tough. You want to thrive in difficult conditions. This is the World Cup — nothing can get bigger than this. You are playing for your nation. These blows to the body are secondary. You need to put the team’s cause first,” Rohit said.
On Rishabh Pant’s elevation to the number three spot, Rohit revealed: “We have three right handers in the top four, so it is nice to get a southpaw in. We wanted someone in the middle to bat freely, take on attacks, and play maximum deliveries. Besides the openers, none of the other positions are fixed. We will be flexible with our batting order.”