NEW DELHI: During the World Cup match between India and New Zealand at the HPCA stadium in Dharamshala, the problematic condition of the outfield once again took center stage, with Indian players opting to avoid sliding to prevent potential injuries.
The incident that highlighted these concerns occurred early in the New Zealand innings when India’s captain, Rohit Sharma, made a sliding effort while fielding and ended up injuring his little finger. This injury prompted his temporary departure from the field for treatment. Despite the discomfort, Rohit later returned to lead the Indian side.
In another instance, during the 35th over of the match, Indian fast bowler jasprit bumrah refrained from diving at the fine-leg boundary while chasing the ball, inadvertently allowing a boundary to New Zealand’s captain, Tom Latham.
The state of the outfield at the HPCA stadium has been a recurring point of criticism. England’s captain, Jos Buttler, had previously described it as “poor” ahead of their World Cup encounter against Bangladesh. Buttler’s concerns revolved around the need for players to exercise caution when diving or fielding due to the condition of the outfield, which ran counter to the ethos of being agile and committed fielders.
He expressed his reservations, stating, “You want to dive through our houses to save a run. So, that’s obviously not ideal, the way the surface is, the outfield. The outfield is different to when we played here in the IPL.”
These concerns about the outfield’s condition resurfaced following a match between Afghanistan and Bangladesh at the same venue. During that match, several players experienced slips and difficulties while chasing the ball, raising ongoing questions about the need for improvements to ensure both the safety and performance of the players.
(With inputs from PTI)
The incident that highlighted these concerns occurred early in the New Zealand innings when India’s captain, Rohit Sharma, made a sliding effort while fielding and ended up injuring his little finger. This injury prompted his temporary departure from the field for treatment. Despite the discomfort, Rohit later returned to lead the Indian side.
In another instance, during the 35th over of the match, Indian fast bowler jasprit bumrah refrained from diving at the fine-leg boundary while chasing the ball, inadvertently allowing a boundary to New Zealand’s captain, Tom Latham.
The state of the outfield at the HPCA stadium has been a recurring point of criticism. England’s captain, Jos Buttler, had previously described it as “poor” ahead of their World Cup encounter against Bangladesh. Buttler’s concerns revolved around the need for players to exercise caution when diving or fielding due to the condition of the outfield, which ran counter to the ethos of being agile and committed fielders.
He expressed his reservations, stating, “You want to dive through our houses to save a run. So, that’s obviously not ideal, the way the surface is, the outfield. The outfield is different to when we played here in the IPL.”
These concerns about the outfield’s condition resurfaced following a match between Afghanistan and Bangladesh at the same venue. During that match, several players experienced slips and difficulties while chasing the ball, raising ongoing questions about the need for improvements to ensure both the safety and performance of the players.
(With inputs from PTI)
