Indian captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid are unhappy with the ICC for providing them with minimal training facilities.
The Indian team is currently training in New York City for their first T20 match since January 17. Rohit Sharma and Co. played their last T20I during a thrilling clash with Afghanistan.
The players are coming off a long IPL season, with some players including Rohit Sharma arriving after a 5-match Test series. Rohit then ended up with MI at the bottom of the table, in his first season without a captain since 2013.
Now it is up to him to bring the glory days back to India with a second T20 World Cup title for India. Fans are heeding the words of BCCI Secretary Jay Shah who believes Rohit Sharma will hoist the tricolour in Barbados on June 29.
Players dissatisfied with food, accommodation and overall provisional equipment
But the Indians were disappointed right from the start of their first training sessions. Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid were reportedly unhappy with the training facilities provided by the ICC and USA Cricket.
Dravid and Rohit both described the facilities as “average”. As we all know, India is a cricket hotbed. From training facilities to complete infrastructure, everything is available at the BCCI. But since the USA is hosting such big countries for the first time, they were bound to face some problems.
It is not known what exactly Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid were unhappy about, but it is certain that Cantiague Park will not get 5 stars.
A trusted source even claimed that the Indian players did not like the improvised style of cricket in the US. Rohit Sharma has expressed the team’s concerns after consulting his head coach.
“Everything is makeshift – from the playing fields to the other facilities. It is safe to say that everything is very average. The team has expressed its concerns,” a source said.
Another shock revealed by the same source is that after getting frustrated with the training facilities, the players were also unhappy with the food. India’s start in the USA has not been really good as they are facing problems with food and preparations for the World Cup.
However, when the ICC was confronted with the same demand, the apex board refused to entertain any complaints.
India practices in drop-in pitches
Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma and others completed their first net session on three of the six drop-in pitches scheduled for the T20 World Cup.
Another big news that came out last night was Virat Kohli’s departure from India for New York. He is a much-awaited figure in the Indian team as he will be joining the team for the first time since January.
While Kohli is expected to miss the only warm-up match against Bangladesh tomorrow, he is certain to play in India’s World Cup opener against Ireland on June 5.
India’s second match is against Pakistan on June 9 at the Nassau Cricket Stadium in New York. India’s group matches will conclude with duels against the USA in New York and Canada in Florida.