Has India played cricket in the USA before?
Team India have sought abode in the United States of America (USA) for the next couple of weeks as they are scheduled to play all their group-stage matches in the rising cricketing nation. The Men in Blue will open their campaign against Ireland on June 5 in New York.
The USA may come across as uncharted territory from a cricketing point of view for the majority of the sides. Although India will be playing in a new set of venues, they are not exactly strangers to playing in the country.
With the USA yet to host the longer formats on a consistent scale, India have only played T20 cricket in the country before, starting 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 said about playing in the USA for the first time (via Indian Express).
Back then, the MS Dhoni-led Indian side could only play one match out of the scheduled two contests, as the second encounter was washed out. However, the sole outing of the series, and India's first match on US soil, was for the history books.
West Indies beat India by one run as the latter almost chased down a mammoth 246-run target. The final over showdown between Dwayne Bravo and MS Dhoni is also fondly remembered by the fans.
Team India's next visit to the USA came in 2019 when they secured a 3-0 series win over the West Indies under Virat Kohli's leadership, out of which the first two matches were played in Florida.
During the build-up to the 2022 T20 World Cup, Team India faced West Indies in a five-match series, where the last two matches were scheduled to be held in Florida. The Men in Blue ended up winning both the matches to seal the series by a 4-1 margin.
Similarly, in 2023, the Central Broward Regional Park in Florida had the opportunity to host the last two T20Is of the series between India and the West Indies. This time around, both teams traded a win each as West Indies won the series 3-2.
Overall, India have played eight matches in the USA, all of them in Florida. They have won five matches, and lost two, while one affair was washed out due to rain.
The current Indian team rife with superstars playing in the United States is a huge boost to the ICC's efforts to expand the market. But, it is safe to say that India will be regular visitors once the market has been completely tapped.
“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 mark the first time that the Indian team explore other venues in the USA. They will return to the familiar Central Broward Regional Park in Florida for their last group-stage match against Canada on June 15.