In the 19th match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, India defeated Pakistan by six runs at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York.
Pakistan skipper Babar Azam won the toss and asked India to bat first. India started their innings well with the bat, with Rohit Sharma (13) hitting a confident six in the first over itself. However, after the break due to a light drizzle, the batter fell short in the third over. With him, Virat Kohli (4) also lost his wicket early. Rishabh Pant (42) was the star of the evening for the Men in Blue as he guided the team through the middle overs, which helped India have a decent total on the board. Pant was hammering bowlers from one end, but the team was losing wickets at regular intervals from the other. Aside from Pant, who hit six fours, only Axar Patel (20) reached double digits. Overall, owing to some game-changing valuable runs from tailenders like Arshdeep Singh (9) and Mohammed Siraj (7), India managed to score 119 runs in 20 overs.
In the chase, Babar Azam (13) and Mohammad Rizwan (31) provided a positive start as they looked in control of the innings. The Men in Green were in a strong position to win the game, but some poor decisions with the bat cost them. Usman Khan (13), Fakhar Zaman (13) and Imad Wasim (15) also contributed, but the batters were also impoverished economically, which pushed them to the brink.
For Pakistan with the ball, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf plucked three wickets each. With them, Mohammad Amir also got two wickets, while Shaheen Afridi managed to secure one wicket.
Jasprit Bumrah was the showstopper for the Indian side, as he grabbed three wickets and just gave 14 runs in his quota of four overs. Hardik Pandya also plucked two wickets, while one each was taken by Arshdeep Singh and Axar Patel.
Bumrah was awarded Player of the Match for his electrifying bowling show. Following this result, India have won their second successive game and are positioned first in their group.
Scorecard:
India: 119/10, Overs 19, Rishabh Pant 42, Naseem Shah 3/21
Pakistan: 113/7, Overs 20, Mohammad Rizwan 31, Jasprit Bumrah 3/14