India beat Pakistan by six runs in the blockbuster T20 World Cup clash on Sunday as the Green Shirts batters failed to capitalise on the bowlers’ efforts to restrict the Men in Blue to a paltry 120-run target.
“Unfortunately we could not capitalise on bowlers’ efforts,” Pakistan’s Captain Babar Azam said and added that the tactics were to play normally and rotate the strike.
He admitted that the batters played too many dot balls, building pressure on the tailenders when they needed to chase the target.
According to Babar, the team did not play well in the power play. When asked, he admitted that the team needed to win the next two matches by a big margin.
The defeat has dimmed Babar Azam-led side’s chances to lift the trophy in the tournament.
Jasprit Bumhrah was India’s leading wicket-taker. He was clinical with the ball, giving a breakthrough to the team by picking the wicket of Babar Azam in the power play.
Bumrah, who was crowned player of the match for his 14/3 figures, also came to the rescue when India needed to break the partnership. He got Mohammad Rizwan out when India required a wicket to break the partnership.
Commentator Waqar Younis described the Pakistani batters’ performance as “horrible”, saying that it was a “game of the plate” for them.
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma said that the bowlers did their job despite that the batters did not play well.
He was of the view that the team was 15 to 20 runs short and 140 runs would have been enough on such a track.
Sharma added that the New York pitch was a “good wicket” as compared to the last games they played there. He praised his team’s bowling department for showing up on the day.
Imad Wasim was caught behind while trying to Arshdeep Singh’s delivery for a boundary.
Shadab Khan was caught by wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant while trying to play a big shot on Pandya’s delivery. He probably felt the pressure as the required run rate increased.
Jasprit Bumrah bowled Mohammad Rizwan. The wicketkeeper batter tried to hit a big shot but the ball pitched down and hit the stumps.
Fakhar Zaman was caught by wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant when he tried to hit Hardik Pandya big on his delivery, but the ball caught the glove before lobbing over the keeper’s head.
Usman Khan got lbw on Axar Patel’s delivery.
Azam was caught by Suryakumar Yadav at slip on Jasprit Bumrah’s delivery.
Mohammad Rizwan 31 b Jasprit Bumrah
Babar Azam (c) 13 c Surakumar Yadav b Jasprit Bumrah
Usman Khan 13 lbw b Axar Patel
Fakhar Zaman 13 c Rishabh Pant b Hardik Pandya
Imad Wasim 15 c Rishabh Pant b Arshdeep Singh
Shadab Khan 4 c Rishabh Pant b Hardik Pandya
Iftikhar Ahmed 5 c Arshdeep Singh b Jasprit Bumrah
Naseem Shah was Pakistan’s leading wicket-taker.
“I think 120 is a decent total on this ground. We need to start well and finish well,” pacer Mohammad Amir said after the match.
Rishabh Pant was the leading run scorer for his side. He made 42 off 31 deliveries.
Former Indian skipper Virat Kohli was caught at point by Usman Khan on the third delivery of the second over. Opener Rohit Sharma was the next to depart after three good balls from Shaheen Shah Afridi. He tried to flick the ace pace over square but was caught in the deep by Haris Rauf.
Axar was bowled by Naseem in the eighth over after the pacer was brought back into the attack.
Suryakumar Yadav was dismissed by Haris Rauf in the 12th over. Rishabh Pant was caught by Babar Azam on Mohammad Amir’s delivery. Ravindra Jadeja got out on the next delivery.
Shivam Dube was caught and bowled by Naseem Shah.
Hardik Pandya was caught in the boundary by Iftikhar Ahmed on Haris Rauf’s ball while Jasprit Bumrah got out on the next delivery of the pacer.
Fast bowler Arshdeep Singh was run out by Babar Azam in the second last over of the game.
The match resumed after rain briefly abandoned the match at New York’s Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.
India were eight without any loss when rain started. Pakistan decided to bowl first after winning the toss.
Rohit Sharma (C) 13c Haris Rauf b Shaheen Afridi
Virat Kohli 4c Usman Khan b Naseem Shah
Rishabh Pant (Wk) 42c Babar Azam b Mohammad Amir
Axar Patel 20b Naseem Shah
Suryakumar Yadav 7c Mohammad Amir b Haris Rauf
Shivam Dube 3c & b Naseem Shah
Hardik Pandya 7c Iftikhar Ahmed b Haris Rauf
Ravindra Jadeja 0c Imad Wasim b Mohammad Amir
Arshdeep Singh 9run out (Babar Azam)
Jasprit Bumrah 0c Imad Wasim b Haris Rauf
Mohammad Siraj 7not out
Extras: 7 (NB 1, W 5, LB 1)Total runs: 119 (10 wkts, 19 ov)
“We have decided to bowl first because of the weather and a little bit of moisture on the pitch. So, we have to utilise the first six overs,” Pakistan’s skipper Babar Azam told commentator Ravi Shastri.
The toss was delayed for half an hour due to rain. The crowd shouted when Pakistan won the toss.
The Green Shirts, after a humiliating defeat to the USA in Dallas, are known for their pace battery in world cricket. But they failed to deliver in the event’s opener.
Azam agreed with Shastri that the pitch conditions suited Pakistan and added that they were playing four bowlers.
When asked about the loss against the USA, he said that the first match was history and the team was looking forward to the match.
“Pakistan and India match is always a motivation as everyone waits for it,” he said and added that the team’s confidence was high for the contest.
The Azam-led side has brought in Imad Wasim in place of Azam Khan. Wasim had to sit out Pakistan’s opening game and had missed the final match of their pre-tournament series with England with what was reported to be a rib injury.
Khan did not perform well in the first match and the England series as many experts criticised his inclusion in the USA match.
Indian Captain Rohit Sharma said that he would have also decided to field first in such conditions after winning the toss.
In response to a query, he said that the team has to “quickly assess” the pitch condition and put a “decent score” on the board.
Sharm said that the conditions could be challenging despite assessing the conditions as much as possible.
“Every game is important. We cannot come up just like that. It is important to show pretty well in the World Cup. Anything can happen this is a very funny tournament,” the Indian captain said.
Men in Blue have made no changes for the match on the back of a win against Ireland.
Pakistan: Mohammed Rizwan (wk), Babar Azam (capt), Usman Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Amir, Haris Rauf.
India: Rohit Sharma (capt), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj.
Drop in pitches that have been used in this World Cup have faced much criticism over the tournament.
The ongoing matches in New York have been dominated by fast bowlers so far. Pakistan has an impressive lineup of quick bowlers, including Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Amir, and Haris Rauf. India’s side also boasts a formidable pace attack with Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, and Hardik Pandya. Given the quality of these fast bowling groups, the batters from both teams may face a tough challenge unless the playing conditions undergo a significant change.
The weather in New York was sunny on the eve of the match, but some weather forecasts suggest the possibility of showers on Sunday morning.
