New York, June 11: India’s cricketing stars are poised to liberate themselves from the challenges posed by a contentious drop-in pitch as they take on an enthusiastic yet inexperienced USA team in their group stage encounter of the T20 World Cup here on Wednesday.
India, designated as A1 in the tournament, require just one more victory to ensure their progression to the Super Eight stage. Despite the complexities of the Nassau County pitch, they are keen to avoid a repeat of their collapse against Pakistan, where they lost their last seven wickets for a mere 28 runs.
Facing USA, India may adopt a high-risk strategy akin to their match against Pakistan, but with potentially greater rewards. While the dreams of representing India remain unfulfilled for many Indian Americans, players like Saurabh Netravalkar and Harmeet Singh are eager to showcase their skills against their country of birth.
The USA team, a diverse mix of talent including players from India, Pakistan, the West Indies, New Zealand, South Africa, and the Netherlands, faces a daunting task against the formidable Indian lineup featuring stars like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, and Rishabh Pant.
Despite their Super Over victory over Pakistan, the USA team has struggled to garner attention from American media outlets. However, Wednesday’s match presents an opportunity for them to make a statement and earn recognition.
For players like Monank Patel, Harmeet, and Netravalkar, bowling to the likes of Kohli and Sharma or facing Bumrah represents a unique and invaluable experience, despite its challenges.
Squads:
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj.
United States: Monank Patel (c), Aaron Jones, Andries Gous, Corey Anderson, Ali Khan, Harmeet Singh, Jessy Singh, Milind Kumar, Nisarg Patel, Nitish Kumar, Noshtush Kenjige, Saurabh Nethralvakar, Shadley Van Schalkwyk, Steven Taylor, Shayan Jahangir.
Match Starts: 8 pm
