India captain Rohit Sharma had to retire hurt after getting hit on the shoulder during the India-Ireland T20 World Cup game in New York today (June 5).
A "tricky" pitch at New York
Ireland were bowled out for 96 on a surface that had excessive uneven bounce. Several Ireland batters were hit on the gloves and helmet during their innings.
Michael Vaughan called the pitch at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium "shocking" while Mickey Arthur said it was "very poor" as criticism poured in from all corners.
https://twitter.com/MohammadKaif/status/1798404321757077927
In the previous game at this venue, between Sri Lanka and South Africa, Sri Lanka were bowled out for 77 before South Africa lost four wickets and took more than 16 overs to chase the target.
Rohit Sharma retires hurt after half-century
In the run-chase, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma came out to open as India opted to keep Yashasvi Jaiswal out. Kohli was dismissed cheaply for one but Rohit carried through the innings despite playing and missing on several occasions as the uneven bounce troubled the Indian batters as well.
On the second ball of the eighth over, Rohit was struck on his right shoulder as he attempted to scoop a short of length ball angled across him by Josh Little. He didn't show any real sign of discomfort immediately after the blow. In fact, the next two balls were pulled by Rohit for two consecutive sixes.
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In the next over, bowled by Mark Adair, Rohit reached his fifty off the fifth ball, before surprisingly deciding to walk off the field one ball later. He kept holding his shoulder as he walked off, but again, didn't look to be in a lot of discomfort.
Not a serious injury
"Yeah, just a little sore," Rohit said at the post-match presentation, brushing off concerns about the injury as India prepare for the marquee clash against Pakistan on June 9, to be played at the same venue.
With this victory by eight wickets, India are currently sitting at the top of the Group A points table with two points and a net run rate of +3.065.
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