Teams: USA vs India
Event: ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, Group A match
Date and Time: Wednesday, June 12, 10:30am local time (14:30 GMT)
Venue: Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York, US

Aaron Jones, the USA's leading batsman, remains unfazed by the prospect of facing cricket legends as his team prepares to take on India in their T20 World Cup Group A encounter in New York.

Jones, who has been pivotal to the USA’s successes in the tournament, finds it "exciting" to compete against stars like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Jasprit Bumrah at Nassau County Stadium on Wednesday.

“Growing up, it was my dream to play against the world's best. Now that I have this chance, it's thrilling,” Jones remarked on Tuesday. “I'm eager to play against them, converse with them, and hopefully, defeat them,” he added confidently.

The USA team, buoyed by their home ground advantage, will harbor hopes of outclassing top teams but face the challenge of performing in front of a large Indian fanbase.

Jones mentioned that the crowd's support would be balanced since the USA team has a significant number of Indian-origin players. Many of these players have had experiences with the Indian squad during their younger days in India.

“For the USA team, this is their first-ever match against India, and they are definitely looking forward to playing against some familiar faces,” Jones noted.

Aaron Jones is the leading six-hitter of the 2024 @ICC @T20WorldCup! 🤩🔥#T20WorldCup | #WeAreUSACricket 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/fmM4y7fcJU

— USA Cricket (@usacricket) June 11, 2024

On the other hand, India’s bowling coach Paras Mhambrey emphasized that the team is not taking the game "lightly."

“Winning in the early stages of a tournament like the World Cup is crucial. Each game is significant, and maintaining form is vital,” Mhambrey communicated to reporters.

Despite the USA playing on their home ground, Mhambrey believed his team has an edge, having already played two tournament matches and a practice game on the challenging New York pitch. He encouraged batters to be patient and aim for a substantial total.

“In New York, every run counts,” he added.

Pitch and Weather Conditions

The pitch at New York has improved over the past week, becoming slightly easier for batting while still assisting bowlers. Captains winning the toss have opted to bowl first to leverage early conditions.

The weather forecast for East Meadow, Long Island, where the stadium is situated, predicts some clouds but no rain. The humidity will remain above 50 percent.

Head-to-Head

This match marks the first-ever encounter between the USA and India in any cricket format.

Form Guide

Both teams are in top form with 100 percent wins so far in the tournament.

India, ranked number one in ICC’s men’s T20 standings, have maintained an unbeaten T20 series record for the past 10 months. Similarly, the USA boasts a series win over Bangladesh as they approach this high-stakes game.

USA: W W L W W
India: W W W W W

USA Team News

The USA is expected to stick with the winning combination for their next game.

Squad: Monank Patel (captain), Shayan Jahangir, Andries Gous, Nitish Kumar, Steven Taylor, Harmeet Singh, Corey Anderson, Milind Kumar, Nisarg Patel, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Ali Khan, Jessy Singh, Saurabh Netravalkar, Nosthush Kenjige.

India Team News

India might opt to rest Jasprit Bumrah, their key pacer, and bring in one of their spinners – Kuldeep Yadav or Yuzvendra Chahal – who have yet to feature in this tournament.

Squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Hardik Pandya, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.