As skipper Rohit Sharma hobbled off the field mid-batting, India’s eight-wicket victory over Ireland in their T20 World Cup 2024 first match on Wednesday took a turn for the worst. At the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York, pacer Josh Little delivered a delivery that struck Rohit in the upper arm, causing him to leave the ground. With four fours and three sixes in his 52 off 37 balls before he retired, Rohit gave India the ideal starting point to chase down a meager target of 97.
The second ball in the ninth over struck Rohit in the upper arm. He was eventually forced to leave the field following the last ball of the tenth over due to the injury. India was relieved to learn that the injury was not life-threatening. After the match, Rohit made the revelation. The captain of India said, “Yeah, just a little sore (the arm).”
On the first ball of the eleventh over, later in India’s innings, Rishabh Pant also took a knock on his elbow. Josh Little bowled that delivery as well. Nevertheless, Pant carried on with his innings after getting some attention from the physiotherapist, culminating in a six to close out the game.
The match between India and Ireland was played on the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium surface, which attracted a lot of criticism for its aggressive bounce. The outfield, on the other hand, was criticized for moving too slowly.
“I also mentioned that during the toss. unsure of what to anticipate from the pitch in general. Not knowing what it’s like to play on a five-month-old pitch. Even in our second innings of batting, I don’t think the wicket settled down,” Rohit remarked. .
“For the bowlers, there was sufficient. You basically have to do that. Make a regular effort to reach such lengths. These guys are all experienced Test cricket players. Only Arshdeep has not done so. The tone was established for us by his two wickets up front,” he continued.
On June 9, India and Pakistan are scheduled to face off at the same venue.
“To be honest, I’m not sure what to anticipate from the proposal. We’ll get ready as though this is how the game in Pakistan will unfold. We’re going to play a kind of game where everyone of the eleven of us has to contribute. Although it was difficult, the India captain said, “it was beneficial to spend some time in the middle and learn what kinds of shots to play there.”
