T20 World Cup 2024: 'Excited, Not Intimated' - USA's Aaron Jones on Facing India

Add as a preferred source on Google

USA batter Aaron Jones has said facing a top team like India will be exciting and not intimidating as the Americans look to seal a T20 World Cup 2024 Super 8 spot from Group A.

The two teams are set for a showdown at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on Wednesday (June 12). Both India and USA have won two games each so far, which adds more flavour to the contest.

Jones, who played a match-winning knock against Canada earlier in the tournament, said he is exicted to be playing against Indian superstars such as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

"It is actually exciting, me growing up as a kid, I always wanted to play against the best players in the world. I'm definitely going to get the opportunity to do that now and it's exciting for me, I don't want to say intimidating," Jones said in the pre-match press conference.

Having already stunned Pakistan in the show-piece tournament, Jones wants to beat the Indian team as well, "I'm excited to play against them and talk to them. Definitely to beat them as well."

The United States features several Indian origin players like Monank Patel, Saurabh Netravalkar, Nisarg Patel, Harmeet Singh and Milind Kumar.

Jones said the India-origin players in the US camp, who at some stage in their lives had played cricket with some of the current Indian players, would be excited to link up with their former teammates as well.

"They're pretty excited to be honest. This is the first time USA will be playing against India. So many guys in our team are from India they actually played against and with so many guys back in the past, so they definitely (would) be excited to play against some friends for sure," he said.

With Super 8 qualification very possible following two wins in two matches, Jones also hoped cricket would be able to find much bigger space in the hearts of American sports lover after this World Cup especially when the sport is set to return to Olympics.

"With cricket being one of the biggest sports in the world, it's only a matter of time before a majority people come on board," Jones said.

"America is a place where people love sports. Obviously, this World Cup is going to open the eyes of a lot of people and then in a few years, you have cricket in the Olympics - that's a very big thing as well. I think everything is on the rise right now."