Indian team's head coach Rahul Dravid highlighted a few issues with the brand new T20 World Cup 2024 venue, Nassau County international Cricket Stadium, New York. India played their only warm-up game against Bangladesh in New York on June 1. Dravid lauded Indian players for a perfect game but said that the ground was soft and spongy which could have led to players' injuring their hamstrings and calves.
"It's great to get a good it-out. Obviously, it looks like a good facility in terms of as quickly as they have put up. The ground is a bit soft 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 Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
"A little bit spongy at times but I thought we coped really well, we managed that really well. The batters had put an above-par score on that wicket and the bowlers came out and bowled really well. All and 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 Singh was exceptional with the new ball taking wickets of top-order batters Soumya Sarkar and Litton Das. He conceded just 12 runs from three overs.
"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.
Shivam Dube played an inadequote knock of 16-ball 14 but showed his prowess with the ball taking a couple of wickets. Dube conceded 13 runs from three overs.
"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 T20 World Cup. So it was important to get used to in the batting, bowling and fielding and hence, we got a good idea after playing today and it was a different experience," Dube said.
Rohit Sharma-led India won by 60 runs in the warm-up game. India will start their campaign against Ireland on June 5 at the same venue.
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