New York: The Indian team is yet to “nail” its batting line-up for the T20 World Cup and much shouldn’t be read into the think tank’s decision to send Rishabh Pant at number three in the warm-match against Bangladesh, said skipper Rohit Sharma.
India emerged winners by 60 runs at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, restricting Bangladesh to 122 for nine after posting 182 for five in the allotted 20 overs on Saturday.
On Pant batting at No.3, Rohit said, “Just to give him an opportunity. We have not really nailed down what the batting unit will look like. Even the bowlers did pretty well. All in all happy with how things went.”
Pant struck a fluent 53 off 32 balls, while Hardik Pandya smashed 40 in 23 deliveries after Suryakumar Yadav helped himself to an 18-ball 31.
“Quite happy with how things went. Pretty much got what we wanted from the game. Like I said at the toss, it was important to get used to the conditions.
“New venue, new ground, drop-in pitch – important to get used to it and we managed pretty well,” Rohit said after the match.
Left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh shone with the ball, picking 2/12 in three overs while all-rounder Shivam Dube grabbed 2/13 in three overs.
Asked about Arshdeep, Rohit said, “He has shown us, in whatever games he has played, he has the skills up-front. He has got a very good skill-set (at the death too).
“We saw it today. He bowled pretty well, swung the ball up front, and then bowled one at the backend. We have got 15 good players here. We have to see what the conditions are and then see what combination is best for us.”
A little spongy at times: Dravid
Head coach Rahul Dravid said the pitch was a bit soft and spongy, while lauding the performance of his players.
“It’s great to get a good hit-out. Obviously, it looks like a good facility in terms of as quickly as they have put up. The ground is a bit soft and the guys could feel that on the hamstring and the calves.
“So, that’s the area we need to ensure that we are working around and ensuring that the guys are looking after does feel a little bit heavy underneath,” Dravid said in a video posted by the BCCI.
India ticked multiple boxes during their comfortable win over Bangladesh in the warm-up match, but none bolder than the fifty by Pant which has all but sealed his place as the first-choice wicketkeeper batter in the ICC showpiece.
Dravid added, “A little bit spongy (pitch) at times but I thought we coped really well. The batters had put an above-par score on that wicket and the bowlers came out and bowled really well.
“All in all, we got run-around and to get a game here is really nice. Hopefully, we can prepare well for the next couple of days and be ready.”
Arshdeep, who made good use of the pitch said the team was nicely adapting to the conditions despite some challenges.
“Feels good, really important how you start. We got wickets early on and did not give away runs. The wicket was helping us as well, so we tried to keep it simple and got the result as well.
“The ground is sand-based, so you need to get the rhythm right. It will be a challenge to adapt to the conditions here.
“We are adapting really well because the practice sessions were also there in the morning and everyone turned up and did their 100% there, that we can see on the field as well, the way we played as a team, and it was a nice result,” Arshdeep said.
Dube, who has made a name for himself with his ability to hit big sixes besides bowling his medium pacers, added, “It was fun playing here, and it was good to have a win in our first warm-up game. Obviously, it’s well-built. But there is a challenge for the players. It’s not easy.
“The warm-up match is important for us to be ready for the T20 World Cup. So it was important to get used to it in batting, bowling and fielding and hence, we got a good idea after playing today and it was a different experience,” Dube said.
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