India returned to defend a score of 119, their lowest ever in a T20I match, winning their second game in the T20 World Cup 2024. Pakistan who were the runners–up last time, lost again and now risk getting knocked out in the first round. The pitch at New York’s Nassau County International Stadium was not good for hitting big shots, making it a game for the bowlers from both teams.

How did India win the match?

Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah bowled well in the middle of the game. They didn’t let Pakistan score many runs and also took important wickets. When Pandya got Fakhar Zaman out, it changed the game a lot. After that, Pakistan was not able to score many runs. Bumrah was amazing too, taking three wickets for just fourteen runs. This made it hard for Pakistan to score, and India won the match.

INDIA:

Initial Overs – 50/2 (RR: 8.33; 5x4s, 2x6s)

Even though rain delayed the start of the game, and there was another pause after it began, no time was lost when they continued playing. Virat Kohli hit a strong shot, called a cover drive, off Naseem Shah. Earlier, Rohit Sharma had also hit a good shot off Shaheen Afridi. But the ground wasn’t easy to play on, as the ball didn’t bounce predictably and moved around. Kohli got out trying to hit a wide ball, and Rohit got caught trying a fancy shot. Pakistan’s plan to position their fielders worked, and India changed their batting order, sending Axar Patel to bat with Rishabh Pant. Both players had some luck, with a few shots just missing the fielders and going for boundaries. Patel also hit a couple of nice shots to keep the score going, and India reached fifty runs in the first part of the game.

Middle Overs – 47/5 (RR: 5.11; 6x4s, 0x6s)

In just eighteen balls, India lost four wickets and scored only eight runs, making their total 97/7 by the end of the 15th over. The change happened quickly after Rishabh Pant had looked like he might help India get a good score on the difficult pitch. Pant hit three good shots for boundaries off Haris Rauf, giving some energy to India's innings which had been a bit slow before. Even though Pant got close to scoring forty runs, it was obvious that this pitch wasn't good for hitting big shots. One after another, Indian batters got out by getting caught, as the ball didn't bounce predictably. Axar Patel got out when the ball slid straight to hit the wickets, while Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Pant, and Ravindra Jadeja all got caught by fielders near the batsman. The last two got out from consecutive balls from Amir, and Naseem got two more wickets, showing that India's choice of shots wasn't the best. This made Pakistan look strong again in the game.

Death Overs: 22/3 in 4 overs (RR:5.50; 2x4s, 0x6s)

Hardik Pandya was India's last hope to score runs, but he couldn't do much. He got out by hitting the ball to a fielder, which made Pakistan very happy. India's other players didn't do well either, and Pakistan played well. Haris Rauf, one of Pakistan's players, did well, getting three Indian players out, just like Naseem.

PAKISTAN:

Initial Overs - 35/1 (RR: 5.83; 2x4s, 1x6)

India tried hard to win the game with a low score, but Pakistan's batsmen played carefully and didn't take risks. Rizwan and Babar Azam played well, but both got lucky because Indian players dropped catches. This made Pakistan play even more carefully and they only scored 35 runs in the first few overs.

Middle Overs - 48/3 (RR: 5.33; 4x4s, 1x6)

Rizwan played a strong and steady innings, scoring 31 runs from 44 balls. His batting helped Pakistan stay stable, but they couldn’t score quickly later on. In the meantime, additional Pakistani contenders such as Fakhar Zaman took more risks, hitting a six early on. Nonetheless, Zaman got knocked out while trying to play a shot, caught by the wicketkeeper. Then, Jasprit Bumrah, a key player for India, took a wicket with his first ball in his third over, which was a big setback for Pakistan. This changed the game consequentially towards the end.

Death Overs - 30/3 (RR: 6.00; 2x4s, 0x6s)

Imad Wasim had trouble hitting the ball in a game. He only acquired 15 points from 23 balls. India played well and didn’t let Pakistan get many points in the end. Even Iftikhar Ahmed had trouble hitting the ball. The ground was also not good for playing. So, Pakistan was unable to do well in the game.

Score Summary:

India scored 119 runs in 19 overs (Rishabh Pant made 42 runs; Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf both took 3 wickets each for 21 runs). Whereas Pakistan scored 113 runs for 7 wickets in 20 overs (Mohammad Rizwan made 31 runs; Jasprit Bumrah took 3 wickets for 14 runs). India secured their victory by 6 runs.