'India should get used to weather conditions...': Suresh Raina on T20 WC in West Indies, USA

NEW DELHI: Former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina expressed confidence on Sunday that the 'Men in Blue' will perform well in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, set to take place in the West Indies and USA from June 1.
However, he advised the team to quickly acclimate to the "drop-in pitches" and weather conditions. The T20 World Cup will run from June 1 to June 29 across venues in the USA and the Caribbean.
Speaking to the media at an event of Chhattisgarh State Cricket Sangh's Chhattisgarh Premier League (CPL), which will take place in June this year, Raina said, "The team is balanced. Rohit Sharma is the captain. Virat Kohli is in fine form and Suryakumar Yadav is in good touch. Two left-arm pacers are going, who can bowl in powerplay. Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja are going."
"However, matches there are at 10:00 AM in the morning. The wickets are also drop-in. The team should get used to these wickets and conditions as soon as possible," he added.
On vice-captain Hardik Pandya's poor run of form in the IPL, Raina said, "He has done really well (for India). Temporary poor form does not make someone bad. When he will perform well against Pakistan in the World Cup, everyone will praise him."
Under Pandya's captaincy, MI had a disappointing IPL season, winning only four out of 14 matches. Pandya himself scored 216 runs in 14 matches, averaging 18.00 with a strike rate of 143.04, and his highest score was 46. As a bowler, he took 11 wickets, but with a high average of 35.18 and an economy rate of 10.75.
India are placed in Group A of the ICC tournament alongside arch-rivals Pakistan, Ireland, Canada and co-hosts USA.
India will begin their T20 World Cup campaign against Ireland on June 5 at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York, followed by the marquee clash against Pakistan on June 9 at the same venue. India will then play the USA and Canada on June 12 and 15 respectively.
(With ANI inputs)