This surface will close the gap between India and Pakistan since the former has a much better batting lineup.
It’s staggering how conditions dictate this sport called cricket. A team can have the most skilled players, robust management, and an erudite data guy, but what will eventually matter is how quickly they assess the conditions on offer. The playing field is ultimately the real deal.
Ample talks have been about that playing area since cricket has found its newest home in New York in T20 World Cup 2024. That India have played two (including warm-up) fixtures here has highlighted the substandard setting at the venue. Further, the most awaited India vs Pakistan contest at the same venue has put everyone concerned under the pump more than ever.
The drop-in pitches at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium have shown lacklustre characteristics, unfit to bat at times. The uneven, variable bounce and unrestrained seam movement injured as many as three batters – Harry Tector, Rohit Sharma, and Rishabh Pant – in the same game. And the outfield has been so slow that batters have taken 17 balls for every along-the-ground boundary in three matches.
Usually, such pitches get better with the game, and movement shrinks, but here they have remained the same throughout, and conditions have never eased up. The morning starts – to cater to South Asia viewers – also brings moisture into play, further slowing the track. The spinners have also got more turn and drift in the second innings, making life impossible for batters. Rohit didn’t shy from taking a dig at the pitch and the curator ahead of the Pakistan fixture.
Excess of anything is harmful, which also applies to cricket surfaces; everything in adequate quantity maximises the level playing field and viewing experience. The bummer conditions have already lowered the excitement around this “biggest clash”, as termed by fans and broadcasters. Having assistance for bowlers is understandable, especially after the IPL carnage, but what has happened in New York doesn’t presage well, for fans, who do not want to be treated to a snooze-fest in T20s.
Also Read: T20 World Cup 2024: Are India over-reliant on Jasprit Bumrah?
This surface will close the gap between India and Pakistan since the former has a much better batting lineup and the latter a strong pace attack for the conditions. From man-to-man marking, the Indian batters stand out in every aspect. While such extreme pitches require more skills, which the Blue team possesses, it often requires more luck to survive.
Further, Pakistan have a quality pace attack, whose value increases if there’s some assistance. They will test Indian batters more than Bangladesh and Ireland did with more penetration. Hence, even though India have found a method to score, it will be their stiffest test.
The slowness of the track will also increase the value of Rishabh Pant, who is a master of hitting boundaries off slower balls. Pant’s technique to generate power from his strong base and hit them in front of the square has been mighty effective in the first two outings. In fact, he has been India’s best batter in terms of hitting off-pace deliveries, including those one-handers – a technique to make the ball travel longer.
Further, Pant has also shown much better technique against spinners this T20 World Cup and unlocked the off-side strokeplay. He has accessed all parts of the ground and held his shape after playing his shots, which would help him counter Pakistani spinners. He wasn’t as proactive with his shot selection against spinners in the IPL.
His promotion to No.3 has done wonders for India, for Pant is among India’s best bets on these tracks. While Virat Kohli is also a fine player of slower balls, his power game on such deliveries wasn’t as promising in this year’s IPL. Still, he is adept against pacers, and his spin game is in better health than in the last few years.
Suryakumar Yadav might be the best T20 batter but found wanting when the pitches haven’t been as fluent for his expansive shots. It’s not that he doesn’t have shots to counter bowlers; it’s just that he doesn’t get to break free as often, leading to mistakes. The World Cup 2023 final is an ideal example, where he couldn’t play his shots and faltered badly.
Shivam Dube’s form has been on the dip since the mid-IPL; his six-hitting gears are missing and he has been trying too much lately. Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja don’t have too many shots to excel on slow surfaces and hit boundaries consistently. Hardik showed encouraging signs last game, but his spin game is far from perfect.
What works in India’s favour and will be a disadvantage to Pakistan is that the Men in Blue have already played two games here. They will adapt better and quicker than Pakistani players, who will be low on confidence after the shock defeat against USA. On the other hand, India were tactically superior to Ireland in every aspect.
For instance, they played two bowling allrounders – Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel – in the spin department after bowling first since the track didn’t have as much assistance for slow bowlers in the first innings. Rohit gave them one over each, bowling 18 overs of pace and kept more batting depth in case the top order departed early. The move not to play Kuldeep Yadav might be unfair and perplexing, but the team had proper planning and an idea of the conditions; they knew pacers would have to do the heavy lifting.
Even while batting, Rohit was severe on anything full early on and adjusted himself to go hard off the shorter-length balls later on against high-arm release bowlers. Rishabh also picked short deliveries early and played with a straighter bat on a tricky surface, as four of his five boundaries were in front of the square.
Rohit Sharma 🤝 Pull shot = 🔥🤩#INDvIRE | LIVE NOW | #T20WorldCupOnStar pic.twitter.com/r1lH8VFg63
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) June 5, 2024
It might also aid Pakistan’s openers – Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan – who have been scrutinised often for their T20 game. While their intent is not up to the mark, they have conventional shots and can take some time to get in. Even Pant was cautious early on against Ireland but covered it up well.
What they would need to do is cut down dot balls. Babar played 44.18% dot balls, while Pakistan batters collectively wasted 39.16% balls against USA. It’s not that Pakistani batters are boundary-hitters, either; they hit fewer boundaries (17) than the USA (20) in their first encounter.
Canada showed that such pitches don’t require big scores since they remain the same throughout the game. Even a decent total is defendable or achievable if batters are prudent with their shot selection and approach, as David Miller’s knock depicted last night. Babar and Rizwan will have to play percentage cricket and provide stability; this will be the game and track for their traditional batting, even though they should bat with more intent.
The Pakistani middle order has blown hot and cold, and most are shot-makers. They can often play cross-batted shots, a recipe for disaster here, and lose wickets like Suryakumar Yadav did in the opening game. A lot will depend on how Pakistani openers bat, for they should cut down dot balls, like Rohit and Pant did, and look to score runs rather than survive, which was missing in the USA game.
Also, Indian pacers should not get carried away with the excessive seam movement and work on bowling into the pitch. Arshdeep started well but got greedy in the final two overs in the last game, leading to handy runs for Ireland. He overpitched in a bid to get more wickets, and his shorter ones were slightly more into the body and he ended up as the most expensive bowler.
Even Joshua Little was the culprit of the same mistake. Mohammed Siraj also has a history of trying too much in helpful conditions by pitching full-length deliveries. But he did well in the Ireland fixture, landing 83.33% of his deliveries on the good-length area or shorter and conceded only 13 runs, dismissing George Dockrell.
Finally, such high-octane clashes are also decided by who handles the pressure well. While playing against India, Pakistan crumbled when put under the pump and failed to hold key moments, letting the game slip numerous times in the past. They had the game in their grasp in 2022, but Virat Kohli pushed them with a couple of boundaries, and Pakistan panicked.
They are coming off a shocking loss against USA, which would have left their confidence feeble. T20 usually evens the balance and is the most volatile format. India look like a superior unit, but Pakistan always bounce back after doing Pakistan things.
The speedsters will rule the proceedings. Both teams have quality in this aspect, which should equilibrate the bowling threat. What might ultimately matter is which side shows better batting smarts on this tough-natured wicket.
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