Indian cricket team skipper Rohit Sharma inspects the pitch© AFP
Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma had a clear answer about playing the Cricket World Cup 2023 final against Australia on a ‘used’ pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday. The pitch which will be used for the summit clash was last used during India’s game against Pakistan – a match that the Rohit Sharma-led side won comprehensively. During the pre-match press conference, Rohit was asked about the surface and he answered that although the pitch was ‘a lot drier’ against Pakistan, it now has a bit of grass. However, he was quick to point out that the toss will not play a major role in the match.
“There’s a bit of grass on the track. The wicket from India vs Pakistan was a lot drier. From my understanding, it’s going to be on a slower side. We’ll see the pitch tomorrow and assess. The temperature has dropped a bit as well. I don’t know how much of a factor the dew will be. I don’t think the toss will play a big role,” Rohit said at the pre-match press conference on Saturday.
The pitches have come under the scanner during the ongoing Cricket World Cup 2023 with some media reports claiming that major games are being played on ‘used’ pitches in order to give an advantage to the Indian spinners. Earlier, Australia skipper Pat Cummins also had his say about the surface.
“Again, I’m not a great pitch reader, but it looked pretty firm. They’ve only just watered it, so yeah, give it another 24 hours and have a look, but it looks like a pretty good wicket. Yes, it has been used before. Pakistan played someone (India on October 14) there,” Cummins said at a pre-match press conference.
With around 1,30,000 fans expected to be present at the stadium for the final, Cummins insisted is not worried about a partisan crowd and said that his team would love to stun the home fans.
“It’s going to be awesome. They have been playing some good cricket, undefeated so far. But we know we can give them a good shake, having played them a lot during the last two years with success,” he added.
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