I Had to Look at Rishabh in IPL to Decide Where He Will Bat: Rohit Sharma Ahead of Indo-Pak Clash

Ahead of the highly anticipated clash against Pakistan, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma revealed that he had been watching Rishabh Pant bat during the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 to decide on his batting position. Rohit also mentioned that even the curator is confused about the pitch in New York, and they have had lengthy discussions with various individuals about the game plan. Reports Meenakshi Rao

New York (USA): Considering the volatility of the New York pitch, and the fact that Team India’s queries to the curator have generated confused replies regarding what needs to be done to these drop-in surfaces, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma said on Saturday that the best bet would be to play ball by ball, over by over.

Considering the nature of the pitch, he said he had no idea what to expect from it in the match against Pakistan as even the curator was confused about whether to heavily roll it, cut the grass or do what with it.

"New York is not our home ground. We have played two matches here, but we don't have much awareness about its nature. It behaves differently on different days, so even the curator is confused. So, you can imagine the kind of thinking we need to put in. We don't know on which pitch we are playing (tomorrow), so, whoever plays better cricket will win the match," Rohit said at his pre-match Press conference on Saturday.

The Nassau County Cricket Ground has been posting low scores and just when Sharma was speaking, The Netherlands had posted the first 100 on the ground against South Africa and the latter were struggling to cope and were at one time 4-3.

Sharma, however, was clear that neither the pitch nor the opposition could command the game. “It is what it is so playing good cricket holds the key. No matter who the opposition is or how the pitch is, you know what to expect from the conditions. You got to prepare yourself them. We’ve spoken about it what we need to do on these conditions. We have had lengthy chats with individuals about the game plan,” he said at Cantiague Park in New York.

Adding to his woes will be a slow outfield. “Some shots get lot of bounce on the field, and others do not roll on the field. So, running between the wickets is important," he explained.

The skipper will be counting on experience and drawing from pre-discussed game plans to win tomorrow. Talking about the uneven bounce of the pitch which posed some injury issues with Pant and himself. “Yes, it’s tough to take the blows. But the blows count for nothing, victory matters," he said.

Tomorrow may be perfect weather for the Pakistani pace battery with cloudy conditions, short showers and some wind expected mid-morning. Sharma said his unit is well-equipped to handle big challenges. "When we play in places like South Africa, and Australia, we have to overcome the challenges. The Gabba Test is one big example. We thrive in these difficult moments,” he said.

Sharma said he keenly watched Pant during the Indian Premier League and that’s how he has been given the crucial No 3 position which was earlier with Kohli. "I had to look at Rishabh in the few games in IPL to make up my mind on where he will bat in the World Cup," he said.

Though India have always had an edge over Pakistan in World Cups, Sharma said Babar’s men have the ability to come back from the dead, so a loss to the USA is not the final word on them. "Last World Cup, Pakistan lost to Zimbabwe but ended up playing the final. In this format, anyone can beat anyone. Anyone can come back to form within an innings. T20 is unpredictable,” he added.

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