T20 World Cup 2024 | India takes flight to the Caribbean after a stellar show in the Land of Opportunity

T20 World Cup 2024 | India takes flight to the Caribbean after a stellar show in the Land of Opportunity

India did exceptionally well to successfully navigate a tricky Group-A campaign in the United States of America.

The opener against Ireland went along expected lines. The big one against Pakistan saw India use clever tact — promoting Axar Patel up the order, bringing Jasprit Bumrah back into the attack when Pakistan started to get comfortable — to negate the disadvantage of batting first on a dicey New York pitch.

Rohit Sharma’s men had to dig their heels in to overcome a gritty USA. A wash out in the last match here, however, left the side unhappy.

The Central Broward Park & Broward County Stadium here should have witnessed at least a shortened game between India and Canada on Saturday. The sun was out, rain stayed away, and yet the outfield was unfit for play.

India was denied match practice which could have been useful ahead of the Super 8 stage in the West Indies. For Virat Kohli — who has made only five runs in three outings — a good knock against Canada would have given a sense of relief and confidence.

India batting coach Vikram Rathour expressed his disappointment at not getting play.

“We were really looking forward to playing a game here, especially as we were expecting better batting conditions than what we got in New York. It was important for us to get a game, but this is something that we cannot control,” Rathour said.