India defeats Pakistan in a low-scoring nailbiter at T20 World Cup
India defeated Pakistan by six runs in a low-scoring but tense T20 World Cup Group A match on Sunday at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, which drew over 34,000 fans despite the early rain.
The result propelled India to the top of Group A, with two wins from their first two matches, while Pakistan have zero points from two defeats following their upset by hosts the United States.
Pakistan won the toss and chose to bowl first on a two-paced pitch with rain interruptions making things difficult for India, who struggled to get started and were dismissed for 119.
In response, Mohammad Rizwan set the tone for the chase with a patient knock of 31, but Pakistan fell short after losing wickets at regular intervals, while India's Jasprit Bumrah (3-14) made crucial breakthroughs and bowled 15 dot balls.
"We felt that we were a little under par and when the sun came out, the wicket did get a little better," player of the match Bumrah said.
"So we had to be really disciplined with what we were trying to do and we are very happy with the win."
Pakistan, chasing a run-a-ball 120, lost skipper Babar Azam (13) when he edged Bumrah to the slips, while Usman Khan and Fakhar Zaman both fell for 13.
However, Rizwan, who was dropped by Shivam Dube near the boundary in the third over, batted patiently for 31 runs before Bumrah made another crucial breakthrough by bowling the opener.
The game suddenly shifted in India's favour when Rishabh Pant took a second running catch to dismiss Shadab Khan, as Pakistan's required run rate crept up, leaving them needing 21 runs off the last two overs.
Bumrah was saved for the penultimate over, in which he conceded only three runs and finished with his third wicket, catching Iftikhar Ahmed in the deep.
Naseem Shah hit two boundaries in the final over, but Arshdeep Singh kept the game under control as India won by a narrow margin.
In the first innings, which was delayed by rain, Rohit set the tone in the first over by launching a Shaheen Afridi delivery into the stands behind midwicket, eliciting a raucous roar from the crowd.
The rain returned and the players walked off, but play resumed 35 minutes later with no overs lost.
Virat Kohli opened the scoring with a boundary, but his loose shot fell to Naseem Shah, when he smashed a wide ball straight to the covers, before Afridi dismissed Rohit with a skied ball to deep square leg.
Axar Patel and Pant accelerated the scoring, but Shah struck again to remove Axar, who charged down the pitch only to see the ball hit the stumps.
Pant continued to live dangerously, throwing his body around the crease to play unorthodox but trademark shots to all corners of the ground, but he was losing partners on the other end.
The wicketkeeper's luck finally ran out when he was dismissed for 42, while the middle and lower orders collapsed, with none of the last seven batters reaching double digits as India were all out for 119.
"We didn't bat well enough. At 10 overs we were in a good position and you expect the guys to stitch together partnerships. We fell 15-20 runs short, every run matters on a pitch like that," Rohit said.
"The bowlers did the job for us... The never-say-die attitude in the team with 119 on the board, we didn't make early inroads but we got together and said if it can happen to us, it could happen to them."
SportsLigue