In a gripping encounter at the ICC T20 World Cup, India clinched a six-run victory over arch-rivals Pakistan, thanks to an exceptional bowling performance by Jasprit Bumrah and a crucial innings by Rishabh Pant. The match, held at the Nassau County Stadium, kept fans on the edge of their seats as India secured their second win of the tournament, maintaining their perfect record and topping Group A with four points.
After winning the toss, Pakistan’s skipper Babar Azam opted to field first, aiming to exploit early morning conditions. India’s opening duo, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, began with promise. Rohit, in particular, looked aggressive, smashing a six off Shaheen Afridi in the first over. However, the momentum was disrupted by a brief rain interruption.
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Upon resumption, Naseem Shah made an immediate impact, dismissing Kohli for just four runs. India’s skipper, Rohit Sharma, also fell early to Afridi, leaving India at 19/2. The middle order struggled against Pakistan’s disciplined bowling, with wickets falling at regular intervals.
Rishabh Pant, however, stood firm amidst the chaos, crafting a gritty 39-run partnership with Axar Patel. Pant’s resilient knock of 40 was crucial, yet not enough to push India to a formidable total. Pakistan’s bowlers, particularly Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf, were relentless, each claiming three wickets and restricting India to a modest 119 runs.
Chasing 120, Pakistan adopted a cautious approach. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan focused on building a steady platform, but India’s bowlers were up to the task. Bumrah struck early, dismissing Babar for 13, thanks to a sharp catch by Suryakumar Yadav in the slips.
Rizwan and Usman Khan attempted to stabilize the innings, but the pitch offered assistance to the bowlers. Axar Patel’s dismissal of Usman for 13 further dented Pakistan’s hopes. Fakhar Zaman provided a brief spark with a quickfire 13, but his departure to Hardik Pandya shifted the momentum back to India.
Bumrah’s masterful 15th over proved pivotal, as he bowled Rizwan for a well-fought 31. With Pakistan at 80/4 and needing 37 runs from the final five overs, the pressure was palpable. Hardik Pandya and Bumrah kept their cool, claiming crucial wickets and stifling the run flow.
The final over, bowled by Arshdeep Singh, encapsulated the high drama of T20 cricket. With Pakistan needing 18 runs, Arshdeep’s composed bowling sealed the win. Despite a valiant effort by Naseem Shah, who remained unbeaten on 10, Pakistan fell short, finishing at 113/7.
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“Played too many dot balls”: Pakistan skipper Babar after loss to India in T20 World Cup
Following his side’s six-run loss to India in their ICC T20 World Cup match, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam admitted that his side losing back-to-back wickets and playing more dot balls in the second half of their innings contributed to their defeat despite a fine bowling performance.
In a nerve-wracking battle between bat and ball, Pakistan could not hold their nerves, giving away a solid position after the first half while chasing 120 runs as Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya pulled back the game with their bowling and left their opponents short by six runs at New York’s Nassau County Stadium on Sunday.
Speaking in the post-match presentation, Babar said, “We bowled well. In the batting, lost back-to-back wickets and had too many dot balls. Tactics were simple to play normally. Just strike rotation and the odd boundary. But in that period (the second half of their run-chase) we had too many dot balls. We cannot expect much from tailenders. Our mind was to utilise the first six overs in batting. But one wicket down, and again we were not up to the mark in that phase. The pitch looked decent. The ball was coming on nicely. It was a little bit slow, and some balls extra bounce. Have to win the last two matches. Will sit and discuss our mistakes but looking forward to the last two matches.”
“Every run matters, we did not bat well…”: Rohit after India’s narrow 6 run win against Pakistan in T20 WC
Following his side’s six-run win over Pakistan in their ICC T20 World Cup match, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma admitted that his side fell 15-20 runs short with the bat on a pitch where “every run mattered” and lauded pacer Jasprit Bumrah for his “genius” with the ball.
Speaking about the batting in the post-match presentation, Rohit said, “We did not bat well enough. Halfway through our innings, we were in a good position. We did not put enough partnership there and fell short with the bat. We spoke about every run matters on a pitch like that. There was enough in the pitch. It was a good wicket to be honest, compared to the last game.”
Rohit said that with the bowling line-up India had, the team felt confident and wanted to make early inroads into Pakistan’s batting. Though Pakistan did not give India much opportunity to do something with the ball initially, the team still hoped that Pakistan could face a batting collapse just like India.
“The little contributions from everyone make the difference. Whoever has the ball wants to make the difference. Bumrah is going from strength to strength. I am not going to talk too much about him, we want him to be in that kind of mindset till the end of this World Cup, he is a genius with the ball,” he added.
Rohit hailed the crowd in New York, many of them Indians and Asians, saying, “The crowd was superb, they never disappoint, wherever we play in the world, they come out in huge numbers and support us. They will be going home with a big smile on their face as well. Just the start of the tournament, we have a long way to go.”
Brief score:
- India 119 (Rishabh Pant 42, Axar Patel 20, Rohit Sharma 13; Haris Rauf 3/21)
- Pakistan: 113/7 (Mohammed Rizwan 31, Imad Wasim 15, Jasprit Bumrah 3/14).