India will prepare for tough batting conditions when they play Pakistan on Sunday, said Rohit Sharma after his team beat Ireland by eight wickets on a difficult surface in New York.
"I don't know what to expect from the pitch to be honest, but we will prepare as if the conditions are going to be like this," Rohit said after India dismissed Ireland for 96 in New York on Wednesday.
In anticipation of pace-friendly conditions after South Africa and Sri Lanka played a low-scoring game in New York, India picked three fast bowlers, Hardik Pandya, and two spin-allrounders in Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel instead of Kuldeep Yadav to strengthen their batting against Ireland.
"I don't think we can play four spinners here," Rohit said with a laugh, having talked up India's spin strength prior to the tournament. "When we picked the team, we wanted to have that balance. If conditions are there for the seamers, we wanted to have that. As we head into the later part of the tournament, spin will play a part later on.
"Looking at the pitch and conditions, we are open to make changes and do what is required at that point, but today was a four-seamer pitch and we still managed to get two spinners, who are allrounders. It gives us balance heading into the game. It [Pakistan game] is going to be a kind of game where all XI of us need to contribute."
Rohit scored a half-century in India's chase against Ireland but ended up retiring hurt after getting hit on the arm by a short ball from Josh Little. On ESPNcricinfo's Timeout show, former England coach Andy Flower said the New York pitch was "bordering on dangerous".
Jasprit Bumrah, who was Player of the Match for his 2 for 6 off three overs, was elated after playing his first T20 World Cup match since 2021. He had missed the 2022 tournament in Australia due to a back injury and enjoyed the conditions in New York.
"Coming from India, when you see the ball seaming and doing quite a bit, with good bounce and pace, you'd never complain when there's help for the bowlers," Bumrah said. "You have to be proactive in this format, you can't pre-empt things. You have to adapt to conditions. We played a practice game here [against Bangladesh], realised how the wicket is. We realised the new ball will do a lot, so I was just trying to stick to what is working for you.
"[As a bowler] you want to cover all bases. Once the seam [movement] goes down, the wicket settles down. Yes, there was uneven bounce but you have to be prepared to bowl in all condition and I'm very happy with the outing."