Captain Rohit Sharma mentioned that the Indian squad hasn’t yet finalized its batting order for the T20 World Cup, noting that Rishabh Pant’s number three spot in the warm-up match against Bangladesh shouldn’t be overemphasized. In New York, at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, India defeated Bangladesh by 60 runs, restricting them to 122 for nine after scoring 182 for five on Saturday.
What a ‘put’nership 😉 @surya_14kumar Good energy 👇👇😇😇. Wohooo. ⛳#RP17 pic.twitter.com/PqltGoJkjw
— Rishabh Pant (@RishabhPant17) June 2, 2024
Rohit Sharma On Rishabh Pant Batting Up The Order
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.”
“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.
Hardik Pandya scored 40 off 23 balls following Suryakumar Yadav’s 31 off 18 balls, while Pant smoothly hit 53 from 32 deliveries. Left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh impressed with figures of 2/12 in three overs, and all-rounder Shivam Dube took 2/13 in the same number of overs.
“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.”
“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.
Rohit Sharma on Arshdeep Singh
When asked about Arshdeep, Rohit praised his skills both up-front and at the death, noting his impressive performances in previous games. India ticked many boxes in their dominant win against Bangladesh in the practice match, with Pant’s fifty nearly securing his position as the starting wicketkeeper-batsman for the ICC tournament.
“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 highlighted that the team was adapting well to the conditions and that he effectively utilized the pitch.
Also Read: T20 World Cup 2024: Body Blow To Bangladesh, Star Player Ruled Out
