'Even the curator is confused' - Rohit Sharma reacts to the controversial New York pitch ahead of IND vs PAK encounter

The pitches in Nassau County Cricket Stadium, New York, have been a major talking point since the first game of the T20 World Cup 2024. They have assisted pacers excessively, generating seam movement and uneven bounce, which has often been dangerous for batters.

Ahead of the big clash between India and Pakistan, set to be played at the same venue, Rohit Sharma reacted to the controversial tracks in New York. Labelling it “challenging”, Rohit stated even curators are confused with the uncharacteristic nature of the pitches in the press conference.

“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.”

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During the India vs Ireland clash, as many as three batters - Harry Tector, Rohit Sharma, and Rishabh Pant - suffered multiple blows on their body. Clearly, it wasn’t completely fit to bat, but the teams had no option but to continue.

Running between the wickets is important: Rohit Sharma

Rohit further talked about the outfield, which has been notoriously languid, for the ball has refused to go to the boundary along the ground. The Indian captain also underlined the importance of proactive running between the wickets.

“So, you can imagine the kind of thinking we need to put in. We don't know on which pitch we are playing (against Pakistan). So, whoever plays better cricket will win the match. The outfield is slow. Some shots get a lot of bounce on the field, and some others do not roll on the field. So running between the wickets is important. We need to play as per the conditions.”

The pitch showed decent improvements in the last two encounters, but it is still far from ideal. While having a precise balance between bat and ball is understandable, such tracks favour bowlers exaggeratedly.

Both India and Pakistan have quality pacers, who would make life arduous for batters. Pakistan might be slightly disadvantaged since India have already played two games here, and despite the uncertainty around the nature of the pitch, they will adapt better and quicker.

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