Rahul Dravid Cautions Against Injury Threat At New York's Nassau Stadium

Rahul Dravid has addressed the injury concerns faced by Indian team players at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York. His comments followed India's 60-run victory over Bangladesh in a T20 World Cup 2024 warm-up game on Saturday, June 1.

Dravid noted that the surface at the newly-constructed facility was soft and "spongy," posing a risk of hamstring injuries. He mentioned that both the coaching staff and players were focusing on preventing such injuries.

"It's great to get a good hit out. Obviously, it looks like a good facility in terms of how quickly they have put it up. The ground is a bit soft; the guys could feel that on the hamstring and the calves. So that's the area we need to ensure that we are working around and ensuring that the guys are looking after themselves as it does feel a little bit heavy underneath," Dravid said in a video posted by the BCCI.

"A little bit spongy at times but I thought we coped really well, we managed that really well. The batters had put an above-par score on that wicket and the bowlers came out and bowled really well. All in all, we got run-around and to get a game here is really nice. Hopefully, we can prepare well for the next couple of days and be ready," he added.

India pacer Arshdeep Singh, who took two wickets in the warm-up fixture, acknowledged the challenge of adapting to the sand-based ground. He also highlighted how practice sessions before the match contributed to their performance.

"Feels good, really important how you start. We got wickets early on and did not give away runs. The wicket was helping us as well, so we tried to keep it simple and got the result as well. The ground is sand-based, so you need to get the rhythm right. It will be a challenge to adapt to the conditions here," Arshdeep said.

"We are adapting really well because the practice sessions were also there in the morning and everyone turned up and did their 100% there, that we can see on the field as well, the way we played as a team, and it was a nice result," he added.

All-rounder Shivam Dube described playing in New York as a "different experience." He said that the practice game against Bangladesh helped them acclimate to both bowling and batting conditions at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.

"It was fun playing here, and it was good to have a win in our first warm-up game. Obviously, it's well-built. But there is a challenge for the players. It's not easy. The warm-up match is important for us to be ready once the T20 World Cup starts. So it was important to get used to the batting, bowling and fielding and hence, we got a good idea after playing today and it was a different experience," Dube said.

Upcoming Matches

India will play their first three matches at this venue. They will begin their campaign against Ireland on June 5, followed by matches against Pakistan on June 9 and USA on June 12 in New York.