India captain Rohit Sharma experienced a scare during a training session on Friday in New York when he was hit on his hand. Despite the impact, the seasoned cricketer dismissed the incident and continued batting, alleviating concerns among his teammates, support staff, and Indian cricket fans. Sharma maintained his focus and composure following the incident, which occurred just days before the much-anticipated T20 World Cup 2024 match between India and Pakistan at the Nassau County Cricket Stadium in New York.
Rohit Sharma was hit on his fingers when a ball delivered by one of India’s throwdown specialists unexpectedly jumped off a good length on the practice pitches in New York. Indian physios promptly attended to Rohit on the training strip. Although the batting practice was briefly halted for a couple of minutes, Rohit was able to continue batting, much to the relief of his team and fans.
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This incident marks the second time Rohit Sharma has sustained a significant blow during his stay in New York. Earlier, he was hit on his hand near the biceps during India’s opening match against Ireland. Despite scoring a match-winning fifty in that game, Rohit was retired hurt. He later downplayed the injury, explaining that he felt a bit sore and decided to leave the pitch as a precautionary measure.
India players trained intensively for nearly three hours on Friday. Virat Kohli, in high spirits, kept the atmosphere light during the session, helping to ease the tension ahead of the high-pressure game. India’s confidence was buoyed by their commanding 8-wicket victory over Ireland in their opener. Conversely, Pakistan faced a shocking defeat in a Super Over thriller against the USA in Dallas on Thursday, marking one of the biggest upsets in the history of the men’s T20 World Cup.
Notably, the pitch at the Nassau County Cricket Stadium has been scrutinized for its uneven bounce, which has posed challenges for the batters in the matches so far. Balls pitching on a good length have been taking off unpredictably, causing difficulties. While Rohit Sharma was hit on the hand during practice, Rishabh Pant, who batted at No. 3 for India against Ireland, also sustained a few blows to his body due to the unpredictable bounce.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan was one of the fiercest critics of the pitch at the newly-built 34,000-seater stadium in New York, calling it unfit for international cricket.
Notably, the ICC released a statement on Friday acknowledging the uneven nature of the pitch in New York and promising better surfaces for the upcoming games, including India’s highly anticipated match against Pakistan scheduled for Sunday, June 9th.
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