Pakistan Innings:
In a tense T20 World Cup clash on Sunday, India edged out Pakistan by six runs, thanks to a superb performance by Jasprit Bumrah and the collective efforts of the Indian bowlers.
Jasprit Bumrah, with figures of 3/14, and Hardik Pandya, with 2/24, were instrumental in defending a modest target of 120 runs. Their tight bowling restricted Pakistan to 113 for seven, leaving the Pakistani batsmen unable to gain any momentum.
Earlier in the match, Pakistan's pacers Naseem Shah and Mohammad Amir showcased their skills, dismantling the Indian batting lineup for 119 runs. Despite rain interruptions, Shah (3/21) and Amir (2/23) capitalised on the slightly two-paced pitch, making scoring difficult for India.
Rishabh Pant was the lone bright spot in India's batting performance, scoring a brisk 42 off 31 balls, including six boundaries. His aggressive approach provided some respite in an otherwise challenging innings for India.
Ultimately, the disciplined and skilful bowling by India, led by the outstanding Bumrah, secured a memorable victory in this iconic India-Pakistan showdown.
India innings:
Pakistan delivered a sensational bowling performance as Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf shared 6 wickets between them, three apiece to restrict India to 119 in 19 overs. Rishabh Pant played a 31-ball 42, but enjoyed several slices of luck as he along with Rohit Sharma and Axar Patel were the only batters to reach double figures.
However, even a chase of 120 is unlikely to be straightforward for Pakistan, whose World Cup hopes are hanging by the thread.
One of cricket's most storied rivalries is set to reignite at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, as India and Pakistan clash for the seventh time in T20 World Cup history. Historically, India has dominated this fierce contest, securing five victories against their arch-rivals. Pakistan's lone triumph came in the 2021 edition, where they achieved a remarkable 10-wicket win. The only other match that did not produce a clear winner was the unforgettable 2007 encounter, which ended in a tie and was subsequently decided by a bowl-out, with India emerging victorious 3-0.
10 pm - Rishabh Pant and Axar Patel have stitched a partnership of 31 runs for the third wicket to steady India's innings after the openers Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli fell in quick succession. India 50/2 in 6 overs
9.39 pm - WICKET! Rohit Sharma holes out at deep mid-wicket for 13, Shaheen Afridi gets his 1st wicket. India 19/2 (2.4 overs)
9.30 pm - WICKET! Massive moment in the game as Naseem Shah gets Virat Kohli caught at point for 4.
9.15 pm - The rain has stopped and main cover on the square is being removed now as India coach Rahul Dravid strides out to have a look at the pitch. The umpires are also inspecting the surface with umbrellas in their hands.
9 pm - "It's coming down hard now, this is the heaviest it has rained till now," says Ravi Shastri on commentary.
8.56 pm - Bad news folks, the rain is back to interrupt play at Nassau County. The players head back to their respective dugouts to wait this one out.
8.50 pm - India captain Rohit Sharma strides out to the middle with his opening partner Virat Kohli. Left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi will start the proceedings with the new ball for Pakistan.
8.45 pm - Players from both teams make their way to the ground for the national anthems after T20 World Cup ambassador Yuvraj Singh came out with the trophy and placed it in the middle of India and Pakistan.
8.25 pm - Seems like the rain has stopped as the umpires are coming out for another inspection. No overs lost yet. The match will start at 8.50 pm IST if there is no more rain.
8.12 pm - It has started to rain once again at Nassau County therefore, the covers are coming back on the ground. Looks like the start could be delayed beyond 8.30 pm.
8 pm - Pakistan captain Babar Azam wins the toss and opts to bowl first. No overs lost due to the rain delay. India are unchanged for this game while Pakistan have rested Azam Khan.
India XI: Rohit Sharma(c), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh
Pakistan XI: Mohammad Rizwan(w), Babar Azam(c), Usman Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Amir
7.50 pm - The toss will take place at 8 pm and the match will start half-an-hour later at 8.30 pm IST if there is no more rain.
7.45 pm - Both umpires and match officials are out on the ground near the pitch for the inspection. The ground-staff meanwhile, is taking the covers off the main square so that means the rain has stopped completely.
7.40 pm - "Pakistan, play out of your skin. Play for Pakistan. Don't play for individual records," tweets Shoaib Akhtar
7.30 pm - The toss has been officially delayed in New York due to the rain. Although it is very light right now and only the main square is under covers, the players from both India and Pakistan are out training on the ground. An inspection will take place at 7.45 pm IST.
7.25 pm - ESPNCricinfo reports that the rain is getting lighter and the Pakistan team players are already out on the ground for training.
7.20 pm - "Only the initial 1.30 hours of the India vs Pakistan match are set to be affected by rain. Weather to stay clear after 12pm local time. The match is scheduled to start at 10.30 am in New York.
But looking at the live visuals from Sky Sports, it doesn't look like a full game will be possible tonight.
7.10 pm - It has started to rain heavily at Nassau County so expect the toss to be delayed. The entire ground is under covers at the moment.
India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup Matches:
September 14, 2007: Tied (India won via bowl-out) in Durban
September 24, 2007: India won by 5 runs in Johannesburg
September 30, 2012: India won by 8 wickets in Colombo
March 21, 2014: India won by 7 wickets in Dhaka
March 19, 2016: India won by 6 wickets in Kolkata
October 24, 2021: Pakistan won by 10 wickets in Dubai
October 23, 2022: India won by 4 wickets in Melbourne
Note: since India's victory over Pakistan in the 2007 finals, the team batting second has won every T20 World Cup encounter between the two.
Preview:
Team India and Pakistan will lock horns in the highly anticipated clash at the Nassau County International Stadium in New York.
The two arch-rivals are set to face off for the eighth time in the T20 World Cups. In their previous seven encounters, the Men in Blue emerged victorious on six occasions, while Pakistan won only once in the 2021 edition of the tournament.
The last time India and Pakistan played against each other in T20 World Cup was in 2022, where Virat Kohli's unbeaten 82-run knock helped the Men in Blue chased down 160-run target.
India and Pakistan had contrasting results in their respective opening matches of the campaign in the T20 World Cup 2024. Rohit Sharma-led Men in Blue kicked off their title quest with a 8-wicket win over Ireland in New York.
Pakistan, on the other hand, suffered a shocking defeat at the hands of co-hosts USA in Dallas. Babar Azam-led Men in Green was defeated by the USA after failing to achieve 19-run target set by the co-hosts in the Super Over. Saurabh Netravalkar restricted Pakistan to 13/1 in an over.
The clash between India and Pakistan is expected to be exciting as Men in Blue will aim to maintain their dominance over their arch-rivals in the T20 World Cup, while Babar Azam and co. will look to bounce from the humiliating defeat against the USA.
Pitch condition
The pitch at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium is 'pretty good' according to Ravi Shastri. However, there might be an element unpredictably. Following the criticism from the experts about the pitch, the ICC addressed the issue and that ground staff was working on improving the conditions of the pitch.
It is likely that India and Pakistan will play on the new surface.
Squads
IND: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
PAK: Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan, Azam Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abbas Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed
