A tall order for India?
New York, June 2
The Indian team is yet to “nail” its batting line-up for the T20 World Cup and much shouldn’t be read into the think-tank’s decision to send Rishabh Pant at No. 3 in the warm up match against Bangladesh, said skipper Rohit Sharma.
India emerged winners by 60 runs at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, restricting Bangladesh to 122/9 after posting 182/5 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.”
Pant struck a fluent 53 off 32 balls, while Hardik Pandya smashed 40 in 23 deliveries after Suryakumar Yadav helped himself to an 18-ball 31.
“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.
Left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh shone with the ball, picking 2/12 in three overs while all-rounder Shivam Dube grabbed 2/13 in three 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). 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.”
Head coach Rahul Dravid said the pitch was a “bit soft and spongy”, while lauding his players.
“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,” Dravid said in a video posted by the BCCI. — PTI
West Indies pushed to limit by PNG
Georgetown: Two-time champions West Indies were put under extreme pressure by a plucky Papua New Guinea unit before scraping through with a five-wicket win in their T20 World Cup opener here today. Left-hander Sese Bau (50 off 43) made a fine half-century to take PNG to 136/8 after the associate nation lost their first four wickets for 50 runs. A power-packed West Indies should have chased down the below-par total comfortably but PNG made them work hard for the win. The tournament co-hosts eventually got home in 19 overs thanks to rearguard action from Roston Chase (42 not out off 27 balls) and Andre Russell (15 off 9). pti
Brief scores: PNG: 136/8 in 20 overs (Bau 50; Russell 2/19, Joseph 2/34); WI: 137/5 in 19 overs (Chase 42*; Vala 2/28).
Would love to coach India: Gambhir
Dubai: Former India batter Gautam Gambhir has said he would “love to coach” the national team amid speculation that he is front-runner for the high-profile job. Gambhir recently guided Kolkata Knight Riders to their third IPL title and is seen as an apt successor to Rahul Dravid. “I would love to coach the Indian team. There is no bigger honour than coaching your national team. You are representing 140 crore Indians and those across the globe as well,” said the 42-year-old at an event in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.
