India cruised to a six-run victory over arch-rivals Pakistan in the second match of the T20 World Cup 2024 in a nail-biting contest at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
Pakistan, who looked to have got off to a good start with an imperfect start, fell victim to Jasprit Bumrah after Babar Azam’s only 13 runs. The early setback put pressure on the Green Shirts, who struggled to build momentum despite Mohammad Rizwa’s determined efforts.
After Usman Khan Azam was sacked, Rizwan stepped in with support. However, Khan’s resistance was cut short when he succumbed to the bowling of Axar Patel. Pakistan needed a steady partnership in the middle overs, but key batsmen Fakhar Zaman (13 off 8), Shadab Khan (4 off 7) and Imad Wasim (15 off 23) failed to contribute significantly.
Bumrah clean-cut Rizwan, who scored 31 and looked to guide Pakistan to victory, the game reached a turning point. With Rizwa’s departure, Pakistan’s chances dwindled to 113-7 in 20 overs. Bumrah was the star for India with three wickets, while Hardik Pandya took two and Arshdeep Singh and Axar Patel each.
Earlier, the Pakistani bowlers put in a brilliant display to restrict the Indian batsmen in one of the most anticipated matches of the tournament. Nasim Shah dismissed Virat Kohli for just four runs in his first match. Shaheen Afridi dismissed Indian captain Rohit Sharma in the next match.
In a strategic move, India sent Suryakumar ahead of Adadav to bat at number four to prevent the fall of Axar Patel. However, Patel kept India under pressure and was dismissed by Naseem in the eighth over.
Rishabh Pant and Adadav looked promising with their partnership, but Haris Rauf’s dismissal of Adadav started to crumble. India’s innings opened further when Mohammad Amir took two wickets in 15 overs, removing Pant (42 off 31) and Ravindra Jadeja in quick succession.
Rauf continued to destroy and the Indian team was bowled out by 119 runs in 19 overs. For Pakistan, Naseem and Haris were the top bowlers with three wickets each, while Amir took two and Afridi took one.
