Rohit Sharma ( Source : Rohit Sharma – Twitter )
India and Bangladesh are set to face each other in a warm-up tie at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on Saturday, June 1. The Stadium, built in three months, in New York, received rich praise from captains Rohit Sharma and Najmul Hossain Shanto ahead of the clash.
The Nassau County International Cricket Stadium was built in only three months and has 34,000 capacity. It will host its first T20 World Cup 2024 encounter on June 3, as Sri Lanka lock horns with South Africa in a Group D fixture. However, the warm-up match between India and Bangladesh will serve as an excellent precursor.
Shanto and Rohit visited the ground in the lead-up to the clash and were mesmerized by the available facilities. The former said it was crazy how the stadium was built on such short notice. He said he was excited to play at the venue.
“It’s unbelievable. I think it’s crazy. I mean we all saw on the internet there was nothing (three months ago). Now it looks like a proper stadium and feels great. The Eastern grandstand (in particular), I didn’t expect it to be like this. I think it’s almost a proper stadium. The ground itself looks very good. It’s a proper cricket ground,” Shanto told ICC.
“To be very honest I wasn’t expecting anything like this but we all followed on social media how the wicket looks like, how the ground would be, and we are very excited as to what is going to happen here. It feels very good and looks crazy to me,” he added.
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I just can’t wait to feel the atmosphere in the stadium: Rohit Sharma
The Indian captain was also excited to play at the picturesque venue. He appreciated the efforts of everyone who worked hard to get the stadium ready in time for the marquee event.
“It looks beautiful. It’s quite an open ground. When we come here and play our first game, I just can’t wait to feel the atmosphere in the stadium. It’s a decent capacity as well. Hopefully, it’s gonna be a good one,” the legendary cricketer said.
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Bangladesh are coming off a 1-2 T20I series loss against the USA. Meanwhile, the Indian players have been in T20 mode for quite some time, having played two months of intense cricket during the Indian Premier League 2024.