Team India will be based in the United States for the next few weeks, as they are set to play all their group-stage matches in this emerging cricket nation. The Men in Blue will begin their campaign against Ireland on June 5 in New York.
The USA might seem like uncharted territory for most cricket teams. However, while India will be playing at new venues, they are not entirely unfamiliar with the country. Since the USA has not regularly hosted longer formats, India has only played T20 cricket there, beginning with a bilateral series against the West Indies in 2016.
“What we have to see is that it is a new venture for cricket. Looking at everything, it is a perfect staging ground. Few of other international teams have already played here, also not to forget that some of the T20 leagues have happened. The infrastructure looks good. Overall it is a big occasion.”
“Stepping into the USA for the first time as the Indian cricket team. As far as effort is concerned, I always felt the USA was big market, a lot of sub-continent people stay here, not only Indians. I feel it is a good start,” Then-Indian skipper MS Dhoni had commented on playing in the USA for the first time (as reported by Indian Express).
At that time, the MS Dhoni-led Indian team was able to play only one of the two scheduled matches, as the second was washed out. However, the single match that took place, marking India’s first game on US soil, became historic.
The West Indies narrowly defeated India by one run as India almost chased a challenging 246-run target. Fans still fondly remember the thrilling final over between Dwayne Bravo and MS Dhoni.
Team India’s subsequent trip to the USA occurred in 2019
Team India returned to the USA in 2019, winning a 3-0 series against the West Indies under Virat Kohli, with the first two matches held in Florida. Ahead of the 2022 T20 World Cup, India played a five-match series against the West Indies, with the final two matches also in Florida. India won both games, securing the series 4-1.
Similarly, in 2023, the Central Broward Regional Park in Florida hosted the final two T20Is of the series between India and the West Indies. This time, each team won one match, resulting in a 3-2 series victory for West Indies.
In total, India has played eight matches in the USA, all of them in Florida. They have won five matches, lost two, and one match was abandoned due to rain.
The current Indian team, filled with superstar players, competing in the United States, greatly bolsters the ICC’s endeavor to expand its market. However, it’s reasonable to expect that India will become frequent visitors once the market is fully developed.
“Honestly, I never thought we would be playing cricket in any form in the States. But now it’s a reality. And that tells you about the growing impact of the sport in the world and the United States is more than willing to accept the change and be probably the first ones on a global scale to accept it, in a way, with the World Cup,” Virat Kohli had said in a video message recently.
The 2024 T20 World Cup will be the first instance of the Indian team venturing into other venues in the USA. They will revisit the familiar Central Broward Regional Park in Florida for their final group-stage match against Canada on June 15.
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