India captain Rohit Sharma was hit on his hand while training on Friday in New York,. However, the senior campaigner brushed it off and continued batting, much to the relief of his teammates, the support staff, and Indian cricket fans. Rohit looked focused after the nasty hit days ahead of the big-ticket 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 jumped off a good length on the practice pitches in the training facility in New York. Rohit was attended to by the Indian physios in the middle of the training strip. The batting practice was halted for a couple of minutes, but Rohit was okay to continue batting in the middle.
This was the second time Rohit Sharma has taken a nasty blow after he was hit on his hand, near the biceps, during India's opening match against Ireland in New York. Rohit was retired hurt after he hit a match-winning fifty against Ireland. Rohit played down the impact of the injury saying he just felt a bit sore before taking the precautionary call to walk off the pitch.
India players sweat it out for close to three hours on Friday. Virat Kohli looked cheerful in the middle as he kept the mood in the training session light ahead of the high-pressure game. India hammered Ireland by 8 wickets in their opener. On the other hand, Pakistan were stunned by USA in a Super Over thriller in Dallas on Thursday in 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 come under the scanner for the uneven bounce that has been on display in the matches so far. Balls pitching in a good length and taking off have caused problems for the batters. While Rohit was hit on the hand, Rishabh Pant, who batted at No. 3 for India against Ireland, also took a few blows to his body.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan was one of the fiercest critics of the pitch at the newly-built 34,000-seater in New York as he called it unfit for international cricket.
Notably, the ICC released a statement on Friday, acknowledging the uneven nature of the pitch in New York and promised better surfaces for the upcoming games, including India's big-ticket game against Pakistan, scheduled for Sunday, June 9.
"T20 Inc and the ICC recognise that the pitches used so far at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium have not played as consistently as we would have all wanted. The world-class grounds team have been working hard since the conclusion of yesterday’s game to remedy the situation and deliver the best possible surfaces for the remaining matches," the ICC said in a statement.
