A confident and fit Indian team will take on arch-rivals Pakistan on a tough pitch in Nassau County in the much-hyped match of the T20 World Cup 2024 on Sunday, with their morale already shattered. An unexpected loss in the first match. The biggest crowd-pulling match of the tournament will be played at the Nassau County International Stadium in New York, which has a capacity of 34,000. The pitch of this ground continues to be a topic of debate. After much criticism, the ICC officially accepted it.
So far, in the six innings of the three matches played in this stadium, the team has been able to cross the 100-run mark only twice. Former cricketers also feel how low-scoring matches will promote cricket in the American market. Under the guidance of Adelaide Oval groundsman Damian Howes, four ‘drop in’ pitches were laid here in April, which have not yet been set. The uneven bounce from the pitch is raising questions about the batsmen’s safety. Indian captain Rohit Sharma suffered a shoulder injury in the match against Ireland due to which he had to leave the field.
Rohit said after the match, “Honestly, I don’t know what to expect from the pitch. We will prepare according to the situation. Every player has to contribute in the match against Pakistan.” A day after India’s match, the ICC had to issue a statement to allay all concerns about the pitch. Pakistan team has not played at Nassau Stadium yet. The Pakistani team, which lost to America in the first match, reached here on Thursday night itself. They haven’t had a chance to adapt to the circumstances, which may have hurt them.
If they lose against India, their entry into the Super Eight stage will become almost impossible. Against Ireland, India did not field left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav and included an additional specialist fast bowler. A similar combination is expected against Pakistan as the match will be played on a new turf. South Africa and Netherlands are playing on different turfs on June 8. Considering Kuldeep’s current form and his utility against Pakistani batsmen, especially Babar Azam, he may be dropped. In such a situation either Akshar Patel or Ravindra Jadeja will have to stay out.
In batting, Rohit and Virat Kohli will open the innings while Rishabh Pant will bat at number three. On the other hand, the biggest challenge against Pakistan is to forget the defeat in the first match. The Super Over defeat in the first match against America proved once again why the Pakistan team is considered so unpredictable. Babar blamed the bowlers for the defeat but it should not be forgotten that the batsmen also disappointed. Babar himself scored 44 runs off 43 balls. However, on a pitch suited to fast bowlers, Pakistan’s pace attack led by Shaheen Shah Afridi has the potential to wreak havoc, if they do justice to their potential.
Following a terrorist threat from ISIS at the start of the tournament, elaborate security measures have been put in place for the match. Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder recently gave an update on the security measures. He said, “The security arrangements for the India-Pakistan match are the same as the match made to welcome the then US President Barack Obama: from 8 p.m.”
Team India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Hardik Pandya, Yashshwi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dubey, Ravindra Jadeja, Akshar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jaspreet Singh, B. .
Pakistan Squad :: Babar Azam (Captain), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Sam Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah. Afridi, Usman Khan.