India extended their World Cup dominance against Pakistan.
India defeated Pakistan them by six runs in New York’s 2024 T20 World Cup Group A encounter.
This was India’s eighth T20 World Cup victory over their archrivals, with Pakistan’s only win against India coming in 2021. India has an 8-0 win-loss record in ODI World Cups versus its Asian neighbors.
Earlier, Pakistan won the toss and chose to field. Their bowlers, led by Haris Rauf (3/21), Naseem Shah (3/21) and Mohammad Amir (2/23), enabled them to limit India to 119 runs, with Rishabh Pant leading the way with 42. Pakistan, who can alternate between exquisite and absurd, appeared to have the game under control, requiring 48 runs from as many balls and eight wickets in hand.
However, the speed combo of the ever-effective Bumrah (3/14) and Hardik Pandya (2/24) dragged India back from the dead with sharp spells that saw Pakistan lose wickets in droves, finishing at 113 for seven in 20 overs.
While Hardik was effective with the short ball, Bumrah removed a well-set Rizwan in the 15th over before dismissing Iftikhar Ahmed in the 19th over for three runs.
Having said that, India committed numerous blunders during the game, including dropped catches by Rizwan (31 off 34) and Babar Azam (13 off 10) early in Pakistan’s chase.
It was India’s second win in as many games, while Pakistan suffered their second loss after a stunning defeat to the United States in their opener.
Earlier, India’s new number three Pant rode his luck to a risky knock, while the other batters in the star-studded lineup struggled to apply themselves on a difficult surface.
India vs Pakistan | T20 World Cup 2024
India lost seven wickets for 28 runs after reaching 89 for three in the twelfth over. Intermittent rain delayed the coin toss and, as a result, the game’s start time by 50 minutes. Under cloudy conditions, Babar expected India to bat.
Rain fell after Shaheen Afrdi’s opening over, in which Rohit hit a stunning pick-up ball for six over deep square leg, halting the game’s progress by about 30 minutes. Virat Kohli (4 off 3), who has an excellent record against Pakistan, hit a magnificent cover drive off Naseem Shah on the opening ball of his innings after the restart before being caught at point two balls later by a wide and short ball.
Pakistan had India under pressure when Rohit (13 off 12) was dismissed in the next over by Afridi. The India skipper attempted another pick-up shot, but mistimed it and was holed out at deep square leg. The drop-in pitch, which made headlines for the wrong reasons leading up to the game, provided enough for both pacers and spinners, but there was less uneven bounce than in previous games.
Axar Patel (20 off 18) was promoted to number four to defend Suryakumar Yadav, with India at 19 for two. This was an unexpected move considering India’s depth at bat. To his credit, Axar took several risky shots during his brief stint, including a six over third man off Afridi.
New number three. Despite losing both openers, Pant and Axar put on a 39-run stand off 30 balls to keep the runs coming.
Pant rode his luck to a key knock after Mohammad Amir hit two straight fours early in his innings.
India defeated Pakistan by six runs in the 2024 T20 World Cup clash
The daring left-hander was also dropped on eight before gaining confidence and hitting a string of fearless fours. Haris Rauf bowled three of them in his opening over before unleashing reverse slap off spinner Imad Wasim.
A 31-run stand with Suryakumar Yadav (7 off 8) propelled India to a promising 81 for 3 in 10 overs. Between overs 11 and 15, Pakistan took four wickets and conceded only 15 runs, leaving India on 96 for seven.
Softly dismissed, Dube hit one straight-back to Shah, and Suryakumar was caught mid-off trying to get Rauf over the line.
Seeing the wickets tumbling at the other end, Pant took a straight aerial shot, giving Amir his first wicket.
The next ball, he dismissed Ravindra Jadeja with a regulation catch at cover. Hardik (7 for 12) had to bat around the tail, but he didn’t survive long.
