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'Even Pitch Curator Might Not...' Harbhajan On Unfamiliarity Of Drop-In Pitch For IND-PAK Clash

Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York for IND-PAK T20 WC clash (X.com)Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York for IND-PAK T20 WC clash (X.com)

Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh has warned India about the unfamiliarity of drop-in pitches set to be used for the upcoming T20 World Cup clash against Pakistan at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York.

India will meet Pakistan at the upcoming 2024 T20 World Cup scheduled in the USA and West Indies. 

While the tournament will go on the floor from June 2, the high voltage clash between the arch-rival nations is scheduled on June 9 at the newly built Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York which is specifically constructed for the said tournament.

That being said, the USA cricket association ordered a drop in pitch all the way from Adelaide, Australia as they didn't have enough time and resources to build one from scratch.

Harbhajan warns India

However, former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh is against the idea of using drop-in pitches in ICC tournaments due to the unfamiliarity. The ex-spinner argued that drop-in pitches are tough to gauge and that even the pitch curators present at the venue are unfamiliar with how the surface will play. 

“Pitches there (Nassau Cricket Stadium) are known to none to be honest. Even the pitch curators might not know how many time will this pitch last. How much heat would be there how much water has been put in? How much bounce would it offer?," Harbhajan told Star Sports.

Hence, Harbhajan Singh emphasised on the importance of practice games. He urged India to keep a keen eye on the pitch conditions during practice games and then take a call on the team combination.

“Once those practice games would be played there, then we will get to know how the pitch is acting. And then we can think about combinations. Prior knowing that, we can’t say about team combinations," he added.

That being said, the Indian cricket team for the 2024 T20 World Cup is expected to depart for the USA in the final week of May. They'll play their opening game against Ireland on June 5 before facing the ultimate rivals Pakistan on June 9.