New York (USA): Ahead of the campaign opener against Ireland, India head coach Rahul Dravid has asserted that practising in the public park isn't the way they practice or the professionalism they have in terms of approaching things.
The Indian team, who are going to play three of their group stage games of the T20 World Cup in New York, is practising at Cantiague Park. Cantiague Park is a public park maintained by the Nassau County Department of Parks, Recreation, and Museums.
Speaking at the press conference, Dravid said, "In terms of what we wanted out of practice, it hasn't the way we practice or the professionalism we have in terms of approaching things, which is very much like what we do normally. It is a bit strange that we are practising in the park, as compared to practising in cricket stadiums during other events. But here we are, practising in a public park, which has been great fun. But it has been something new and exciting."
However, the former India captain is hoping the crowd will start to come and watch games from the stadiums saying it has been exciting to play the elusive World Cup at the new place where cricket is not the major sport in the country.
"It's slightly different and exciting to have a World Cup coming to a new country, and a new place. Things are very different in terms of the buzz, as cricket is not one of the major sports in the country. Hopefully, when our games come in, the Indian fans start to come in and bring that similar kind of excitement," he added.
Dravid, who is set to part ways with the Indian Cricket Team after the conclusion of the ongoing marquee event, mentioned that they are preparing in the same manner they do for Pakistan or Australia.
"We are preparing for this match in a similar way as we are preparing for Pakistan and Australia. There will be no shortage in our preparation. We know that they (Ireland) recently defeated Pakistan. We know that Ireland plays a lot of T20 cricket. In this format, you can't take anyone lightly or with a look. We will definitely not take them lightly. We know that we respect them a lot." he commented.
The former Karnataka batter also said that it is great that the squad is being rated highly by many experts and ex-players and called India as favourites to clinch the title. Notably, India haven't won the ICC trophy since the 2013 Champions Trophy while the last T20 World Cup title win for India came in 2007, the inaugural edition.
"When I look across the tournament like this, you see that we are, of course, a strong team. But there are other very strong teams as well in this tournament. So I'm sure there are four or five teams that everyone is probably rating," he concluded.
India will start their T20 World Cup campaign on June 5 against Ireland at the newly constructed Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York. The blockbuster clash between India and Pakistan will take place on June 9. India will later play tournament co-hosts USA (June 12) and Canada (June 15) to wrap up their Group A matches.
Read More
