The latest chapter in the ‘greatest rivalry’ was lacking in quality but still provided high-end action as a gritty India, guided by the formidable Jasprit Bumrah, overtook an imploding Pakistan by six runs in a low-scoring T20 World. Cup competition in New York on Sunday. The Rohit Sharma-led side suffered a mid-innings collapse on a two-paced track to struggle to an impressive 119 in 19 overs despite a gutsy effort from Rishabh Pant (42 off 31 balls) after being put in to bat under cloudy conditions. Pakistan, who can swing between the sublime and the ridiculous, seemed to have the game in hand, needing 48 runs from as many balls and eight wickets in hand.
However, the pace combination of the ever-effective Bumrah (3/14) and Hardik Pandya (2/24) brought India back from the dead with incisive spells that saw Pakistan lose wickets in a heap to finish on 113 for seven in 20 balances.
The equation fell to 18 off the last six balls and Arshdeep Singh held his nerve to defend it and secure another famous victory for India over Pakistan on the world stage.
While Hardik used the short ball well, Bumrah got rid of a well-set Rizwan in the 15th over before dismissing Iftikhar Ahmed in the 19th over, which lasted just three runs.
That said, India made many mistakes in 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 succumbed to another defeat after a shock defeat against the USA in the opener.
Earlier, India’s new number three Pant got lucky on the way to an accidental knock but other batsmen in the star-studded line-up failed to apply themselves on a challenging surface.
Pakistan dismissed India with plenty, courtesy of an all-round bowling effort, with Naseem Shah (21/3) and Mohammed Amir (23/2) being the most impressive.
India lost seven wickets for just 28 runs after having made 89 for three in the 12th over. Intermittent rain delayed the draw and subsequently the start of the game by 50 minutes. Under cloudy skies, Babar probably put India’s opposition into action.
After Shaheen Afrdi’s opener, in which Rohit played a sublime shot for six at deep square leg, the rain returned to halt the gain of the game for about 30 minutes.
Virat Kohli (4 for 3), who has an exemplary record against Pakistan, hit a glorious cover drive from Naseem Shah on the first ball of his innings after resumption before being caught at the edge of a wide and short ball two balls later.
Pakistan put India under pressure when Rohit (13 off 12) departed next to Afridi. The India captain attempted another shot but this time hit it square leg.
The drop-in pitch, which made headlines for all the wrong reasons before the game, was sufficient for the pacers as well as the spinners, but there was not as much uneven bounce as seen in the previous games.
With India feeling the pressure at 19 for two, they decided to promote Axar Patel (20 off 18) to number four to protect Suryakumar Yadav, a surprising move considering India’s bat depth.
However, to Axar’s credit, the left-hander played some bold shots, including a six over off third man off Afridi, in his brief stay.
New number three Pant and Axar shared a 39-run stand off 30 balls to ensure the runs continued after the loss of the openers.
Pant, who hit two consecutive fours off Mohammad Amir at the start of his innings, took advantage of his luck to play a crucial knock in the play.
The plucky left-hander also fell for eight before gaining confidence to hit a series of fearless fours. Three of them came from Haris Rauf’s opening leg before he reverse slapped spinner Imad Wasim.
A 31-run stand with Suryakumar Yadav (7 off 8) took India to a promising 81 for three in 10 overs.
However, Pakistan hit back between 11 and 15 with as many as four wickets while conceding just 15 runs to leave India struggling at 96 for seven.
Dube’s dismissal was rather soft as he hit it back to Shah, while Suryakumar tried to dispatch Rauf across the line but was caught midway.
Seeing wickets falling at the other end, Pant didn’t hold back and played a direct aerial attack to give Amir his first wicket.
He got rid of Ravindra Jadeja the next ball through a regulation catch at cover.
Hardik (7 off 12) had to hit the tail, but it didn’t last long.
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