The Indian Premier League (IPL) kicked off with Brendon McCullum’s swashbuckling unbeaten 158 for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2008. It was the ultimate advertisement for a new and groundbreaking tournament.
On Wednesday, the Indian team and thousands of its fans arrived at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium. A T20 World Cup game in “The Big Apple”. The chance to see Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and other stars at their best. Anticipation was high.
As the venue emptied after India got the job done in quick time, there was an empty feeling. The grand occasion had fizzled out. This was not the ideal way to entice a new audience into a sport.
The bulk of the blame for this disappointment goes to the conditions - the pitch, and a slow outfield. Alarm bells went off in the previous encounter held here, when Sri Lanka was shot out for 77 against South Africa.
The script stayed the same when Ireland came in to bat. The drop-in pitch kept the batters guessing with variable bounce and big movement. The pacers also got extra carry when it landed on length.
On occasions, batting was even hazardous, when deliveries rose out of turn to smash into the knuckles and worse.
The fans at Nassau were waiting for a chance to see Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and other stars at their best. | Photo Credit: K.R. Deepak / The Hindu
One could argue that 200-plus scores - racked up so regularly in the IPL - gets monotonous. But to get two sub-100 totals is a far worse proposition.
A few empty stands, perhaps down to the weekday morning start and inflated ticket prices on the reseller market, was an eyesore. In most parts of the world, the Indian team at a World Cup attracts nothing less than packed houses.
A bigger crowd will no doubt be present on Sunday, when arch rivals India and Pakistan face off. India will be wary of the immense threat posed by Pakistan fast bowlers Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah and Mohammad Amir. On a pitch which does all the work as long as you land it in good areas, this trio can be lethal.
The toss now becomes even more crucial, as confirmed by India batting coach Vikram Rathour. “I think the toss is crucial in conditions like these. Fortunately, we won the toss today so it was a great start, but you can’t control that. Even if we lose the toss and we have to bat first, we still need to find ways to deal with the situation and the pitch,” Rathour said in the post-match press conference on Wednesday.
For the sake of cricket in the USA, one hopes that the marquee affair comes down to skill and not the flip of a coin.
Comments
SHARE