India bounced back at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, defeating their arch-rival Pakistan by 6 runs in a nail-biting encounter.
Earlier, Pakistan bowled out India for 119 in their World Cup Group A match. Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf claimed three wickets each, dismissing India with an over to spare from their allotted 20.
Rishabh Pant’s 42 from 31 balls provided India with a defendable total on a tricky surface at the New York venue after losing openers Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli cheaply. Despite this, Pakistan sensed an opportunity to bounce back from their shocking loss to the USA with a victory over their old rivals.
Rain delayed the start of the game, played in front of a packed 34,000 fans, most of whom were backing the tournament favorites, India. Pakistan captain Babar Azam won the toss and opted to bowl, eliciting a huge roar when Rohit clipped Shaheen Shah Afridi’s third ball of the day over mid-wicket for six. However, rain returned after just one over, forcing a 36-minute delay. When play resumed, Pakistan’s attack got the start they had dreamed of.
Naseem Shah removed Kohli with the third ball back, the Indian opener reaching for a wide delivery and finding Usman Khan at point. Rohit tried to clear Afridi over the midwicket boundary again but was caught by Haris Rauf in the deep, leaving India at 19-2 with both star openers gone.
The tricky surface and consistent bowling from Pakistan made runs hard to come by, but India was still in decent shape when Shivam Dube departed in the 14th over, leaving his team on 95-5. However, only 19 more runs were added for the last five wickets. India will be annoyed to lose their final wicket to a run out when a misunderstanding left Arshdeep Singh stranded, missing the chance to add to their total in the final over.
Pakistan, in response, struggled to chase the modest target of 120. Their batting order’s inability to meet the challenge was glaring, especially Imad Wasim, who wasted numerous balls without making a significant contribution. This poor performance was a major factor in their failure to chase such a low total.
Pakistan’s batting collapse underscored their vulnerabilities, as they failed to capitalize on a prime opportunity to secure a win against India. Despite a strong start with the ball, their batting line-up couldn’t deliver, leaving fans and analysts questioning their strategy and execution in critical moments.
