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India edge Pakistan in a low-scoring T20 World Cup nail-biter
Jasprit Bumrah (30) emerged as the hero as India narrowly defeated Pakistan by six runs in a tense, low-scoring T20 World Cup encounter in New York on Sunday.
India were bowled out for 119 in 19 overs, with Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan making 31 in a measured innings. However, Bumrah’s critical wickets and his impressive figures of 3-14 in four overs were pivotal as Pakistan finished on 113-7, just short of their target.
Despite challenging batting conditions, a record crowd of 34,028 for an international cricket match in the USA witnessed a thrilling contest that swung back and forth.
Pakistan, needing exactly a run a ball, positioned themselves to require 40 runs off the final six overs. But Bumrah’s exceptional performance thwarted their chase.
“Bumrah is going from strength to strength. I’m not going to talk too much about him; we want him to be in that kind of mindset till the end of this World Cup. He’s a genius with the ball,” said India captain Rohit Sharma, who also lauded the fans who traveled far to support the team.
“The crowd was superb, they never disappoint. Wherever we play in the world, they come out in huge numbers and support us. They’ll be going home with a big smile on their face as well. Just the start of the tournament, we have a long way to go,” he added.
Bumrah’s early breakthrough came with the dismissal of Pakistan captain Babar Azam (13), followed by the crucial wicket of Mohammad Rizwan (31) in the 15th over when Pakistan were at 80-4.
In the penultimate over, with Pakistan needing 21 to win, Bumrah conceded only three runs and dismissed Iftikhar Ahmed with his final delivery. This left Pakistan needing 18 from the final over. Arshdeep Singh then trapped Imad Wasim lbw with the first ball, making the chase even harder. Despite Naseem Shah’s effort, hitting two fours in the final over, India secured their second win of the tournament.
For Pakistan, this loss, following a shock defeat to the USA, leaves them without a point and needing victories against Canada and Ireland to advance to the Super Eight stage.
“We’ve still got a chance in the tournament. If we get two wins, we’ve still got a chance to go through. We have to play much better cricket than we are playing,” said Pakistan coach Gary Kirsten.
“We had that game for 35 of the 40 overs. We played good cricket and did everything we needed to, so it’s a disappointing loss,” he added.
Earlier in the match, Pakistan’s bowlers gave their team a fighting chance with Naseem and Haris Rauf each claiming three wickets as India were dismissed with an over to spare.
Rishabh Pant’s 42 off 31 balls provided India with a modest total after openers Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli fell cheaply following a rain-delayed start. Pakistan captain Babar Azam won the toss and opted to bowl. Rohit hit Shaheen Shah Afridi’s third ball for six, but rain soon interrupted play for 36 minutes.
Upon resumption, Naseem Shah removed Kohli with the third ball back, and Rohit was caught by Rauf attempting another boundary, leaving India at 19-2. Despite the early setbacks, Pant’s innings gave India something to defend.
In the end, Bumrah’s brilliance secured a crucial win for India, reinforcing their status as tournament favorites.
