NEW YORK: India beat Pakistan by 6 runs in a nail-biting match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on Sunday. With 18 runs needed off the final over, bowled by Arshdeep Singh, Pakistan managed to score only 10 runs, falling short of the target.
This win marked India’s second victory in the tournament.
The Indian bowlers delivered a stellar performance, defending a modest total of 119 runs in the allotted 20 overs. Jasprit Bumrah was the standout bowler, taking three crucial wickets and restricting Pakistan to 113/7.
Earlier, India batted first and was bowled out for 119 runs in 19 overs under challenging conditions. Rishabh Pant top-scored with 42 runs, while Axar Patel contributed 20 runs.
The Pakistani bowlers excelled, with Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah both finishing with impressive figures of 3-21. The start was shaky for India as Virat Kohli was dismissed for just 4 runs by Naseem Shah in his first over. The next blow came when Shaheen Afridi took the wicket of Indian skipper Rohit Sharma.
Axar Patel, who was sent in at number four, tried to stabilize the innings but was dismissed by Naseem Shah in the eighth over. Rishabh Pant and Suryakumar Yadav then put together a partnership, but Yadav’s dismissal by Haris Rauf triggered a collapse. Mohammad Amir took down Pant and Ravindra Jadeja in quick succession, and Rauf finished off the tail, leaving India all out for 119.
Chasing 120, Pakistan started with a solid opening partnership between Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. However, their momentum was disrupted as Jasprit Bumrah removed Babar Azam for 13 runs. Usman Khan joined Rizwan and provided some support, but wickets continued to fall at regular intervals.
Axar Patel claimed the wicket of Usman Khan, while Fakhar Zaman (13 off 8), Shadab Khan (4 off 7), and Imad Wasim (15 off 23) failed to make significant contributions. The turning point of the match came when Bumrah bowled Rizwan, who had scored 31 runs and was the key player for Pakistan.
Despite a late attempt to chase down the target, Pakistan’s efforts were thwarted by the disciplined Indian bowling attack. Bumrah ended with figures of 3 wickets, Hardik Pandya took 2, and Arshdeep Singh and Axar Patel each claimed one wicket.
Haris Rauf’s efforts in the death overs, where he took down Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah, along with Amir’s two quick wickets of Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja, showcased Pakistan’s strong bowling but ultimately were not enough to secure a win.
This victory adds to India’s dominant record against Pakistan in T20 World Cups, with India winning seven of their last nine encounters. The win boosted India’s chances in the tournament.
