Shaun Pollock. (Photo Source : Twitter)
Rohit Sharma delighted the Indian faithful when he said that his elbow is ‘just a little sore’ after the Men in Blue defeated Ireland comprehensively by eight wickets in their first match of the T20 World Cup at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium. The Indian captain walked off the field retired hurt after scoring a 37-ball 52 after feeling the effects of a blow he endured earlier in his innings.
India chased down a paltry 97-run target with eight wickets and 46 balls to spare. After the one-sided victory, Rohit attended the post-match presentation ceremony conducted by South African legend Shaun Pollock. The former pacer offered his microphone to Rohit after the latter’s malfunctioned. This kind gesture from Pollock was acknowledged by several fans.
— Nihari Korma (@NihariVsKorma) June 6, 2024
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The 37-year-old opined that the pitch didn’t ease out even in the second innings when his team was batting.
“Quite unsure of what to expect from the pitch. Not aware on what it is to play like on a pitch that’s five months old. I don’t think the wicket settled down even when we batted second,” said Rohit.
The inaugural champions played two spin-bowling all-rounders in Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel in the game against Ireland. They left out the two specialist spinners in their side – Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav. This selection call surprised some fans as well as experts. However, Rohit asserted that spinners will play a role in the latter stages of the tournament. He defended the decision to leave out his two frontline spinners,
“When we picked the team, we wanted to have the balance. Spin will play a part later on,” stressed the legendary cricketer.
The move paid dividends for India, as Hardik Pandya led the way with a three-for, while Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah bagged two wickets each. Mohammed Siraj and Axar Patel took one wicket each, while Gareth Delany was removed by the duo of Siraj and Pant.
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India are set to meet arch-rivals Pakistan in their upcoming clash on Sunday, June 9, at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.