The latest edition of the “greatest rivalry” was not particularly high in quality, but it did deliver edge-of-your-seat action as a tenacious India defeated an exploding Pakistan by six runs.
The latest edition of the “greatest rivalry” wasn’t strong on quality, but it did deliver edge-of-your-seat drama as a gritty India, led by the redoubtable Jasprit Bumrah, defeated an imploding Pakistan by six runs in a low-scoring T20 World Cup battle in New York on Sunday. The Rohit Sharma-led team collapsed in the middle of the innings on a two-paced track, getting all out for an uninspiring 119 in 19 overs, despite a valiant effort by Rishabh Pant (42 off 31 balls) after being put in to bat in cloudy conditions. Pakistan, who can swing between exquisite and absurd, appeared to have the game in hand, needing 48 runs from as many balls and eight wickets.
But India came back from the dead with sharp spells from the always-effective Bumrah (3/14) and Hardik Pandya (2/24) that saw Pakistan lose wickets at a rate of knots to finish at 113 for seven in 20 overs.
Arshdeep Singh maintained his composure to defend the equation when it came down to 18 off the final six balls, guaranteeing India would defeat Pakistan once more in history.
Although Hardik made good use of the short ball, Bumrah removed a well-positioned Rizwan in the fifteenth over and then dismissed Iftikhar Ahmed for a mere three runs in the nineteenth over.
That being said, India committed a number of mistakes during the match, notably the dropped catches of Babar Azam (13 off 10) and Rizwan (31 off 34) early in the Pakistan chase.
India had won two straight matches, while Pakistan had lost their first game against the USA, which came as a shock.
Earlier, the star-studded lineup’s other hitters failed to put up the necessary effort on a difficult surface, while India’s new number three Pant relied on luck for a risky hit.
Thanks to an all-around bowling effort, the most notable of which came from Naseem Shah (3/21) and Mohammed Amir (2/23) Pakistan defeated India with one over remaining.
In the 12th over, India was 89 for three runs before losing seven wickets for just 28 runs. The game started fifty minutes later than scheduled due to sporadic rain. Babar batted first against India, as was to be expected, under cloudy weather.
Rain returned, stopping the game anew by around half an hour, following Shaheen Afrdi’s opening over, in which Rohit hit a magnificent pick-up shot for six over deep square leg.
After the match, Virat Kohli (4 off 3)—who has an impeccable record against Pakistan—blasted a magnificent cover drive off Naseem Shah’s first ball of the innings before being caught at point off a wide and short ball two balls later.
When Rohit (13 off 12) left in the next over by Afridi, Pakistan had India completely outplayed. This time, the India skipper mistimed his pick-up shot and was holed out at deep square leg.
Before the game, the drop-in pitch generated headlines for all the wrong reasons. It provided enough bounce for both spinners and pacers, but not as much as in the previous games.
In an unexpected move given India’s depth at bat, they elevated Axar Patel (20 off 18) to number four in order to protect Suryakumar Yadav when they found themselves down 19 for two.
Still, Axar deserves some credit for several audacious shots he made during his short visit, notably a six over third man off Afridi.
To guarantee that the runs would continue to flow following the loss of the openers, new number three Pant and Axar put up a 39-run stand off 30 balls.
Pant rode his luck to a crucial play-changing knock after he had already scored two consecutive fours off Mohammad Amir.
After being dropped on eight as well, the bold left-hander regained confidence and produced a string of daring fours. Before hitting spinner Imad Wasim with a reverse slap, Haris Rauf claimed three of them in the opening over.
India reached a promising 81 for three in the 10 overs thanks to a 31-run partnership with Suryakumar Yadav (7 off 8).
Pakistan, however, rallied between overs 11 and 15, taking four wickets at a cost of just 15 runs, leaving India at 96 for seven.
As Suryakumar attempted to hit Rauf through the line but was caught mid-off, Dube was dismissed pretty softly, hitting one back straight to Shah.
Pant could not hold back when he saw the wickets fall at the other end, going for a straight aerial shot to give Amir his maiden wicket.
With a straightforward catch at cover, he removed Ravindra Jadeja from the game the next ball.Despite having to bat around the tail, Hardik (7 off 12) did not stay long.
