'It is a bit soft, the guys could feel that on the hamstring and the calves' - Rahul Dravid assesses Nassau County Cricket Stadium facilities

Rahul Dravid shared his take on the newly-built Nassau County International Cricket Stadium's pitch after India comprehensively defeated Bangladesh by 60 runs in a warm-up match on Saturday, June 1.

The warm-up encounter was sort of a litmus test for the stadium in New York completed in just 103 days. It comprises a drop-in pitch brought from Australia. After India's thumping win, head coach Dravid acknowledged how swiftly the facilities were set up but added that the ground is on the softer side and it caused some problems to the hamstrings and calves of his players. He said the players need to be wary of this in order to avoid injuries.

"It's great to get a good it-out. Obviously, it looks like a good facility in terms of as quickly as they have put 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 does feel a little bit heavy underneath," Dravid said in a video posted on social media by the BCCI.

"A little bit spungy 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 and 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.

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The ground is sand-based, so you need to get the rhythm right: Arshdeep Singh

India put on 182/5 in their 20 overs after opting to bat first. Rishabh Pant scored a 32-ball 53, while Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya played swashbuckling knocks to entertain the fans at the picturesque venue. In reply, Bangladesh slumped to 41/5 before being restricted to 122/9. Arshdeep Singh and Shivam Dube stood out with the ball, finishing with figures of 2/12 and 2/13 respectively. After the match, the two talented cricketers explained the challenges of playing at the venue where India will be playing three out of their four Group A matches.

"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. 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," Arshdeep said.

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Dube said: "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. So, it was important to get used to in the batting, bowling and fielding and hence, we got a good idea after playing today and it was a different experience."