At the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York, India defeated Bangladesh by 60 runs, limiting them to 122 for nine after they had amassed 182 for five on Saturday.
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.”
Hardik Pandya hit 40 in 23 deliveries after Suryakumar Yadav helped himself to an 18-ball 31. Pant scored a smooth 53 from 32 balls.
“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.
Arshdeep Singh, a left-arm seamer, excelled with the ball, claiming 2/12 in three overs, while Shivam Dube, an all-rounder, claimed 2/13 in the same amount of overs.
Asked about Arshdeep, Rohit said, “He has shown us, in whatever games he has played, he has the skills up-front. He has got a very good skill-set (at the death too).
“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.”
A little spongy at times: Dravid
The field was a little spongy and mushy, according to head coach Rahul Dravid, who also praised his players’ efforts.
“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.
During their convincing victory against Bangladesh in the practice match, India checked off a lot of boxes, but none more so than Pant’s fifty, which almost cemented his spot as the starting wicketkeeper batter in the ICC tournament.
Dravid added, “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.”
Despite some difficulties, the team was effectively adjusting to the conditions, according to Arshdeep, who made good use of the pitch.
“Feels good, really important how you start. We got wickets early on and did not give away runs. The wicket was helping us as well, so we tried to keep it simple and got the result as well.
“The ground is sand-based, so you need to get the rhythm right. It will be a challenge to adapt to the conditions here.
“We are adapting really well because the practice sessions were also there in the morning and everyone turned up and did their 100% there, that we can see on the field as well, the way we played as a team, and it was a nice result,” Arshdeep said.
Dube, who has made a name for himself with his ability to hit big sixes besides bowling his medium pacers, added, “It was fun playing here, and it was good to have a win in our first warm-up game. Obviously, it’s well-built. But there is a challenge for the players. It’s not easy.
“The warm-up match is important for us to be ready for the T20 World Cup. So it was important to get used to it in batting, bowling and fielding and hence, we got a good idea after playing today and it was a different experience,” Dube said.
(With PTI inputs)
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