3 reasons why Pakistan might defeat India in ICC T20 World Cup 2024 Group A clash

Pakistan were handed a shock defeat by USA in their first match at ICC T20 World Cup 2024.

Pakistan suffered one of the biggest shocks in T20 World Cup history when they lost their opening encounter of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 to new-comers United States of America (USA) in Dallas.

This has now complicated the progress of Babar Azam’s team to the Super 8 round as their next encounter in Group A, which is against India, is virtually a must-win match. The Men In Blue have thumped Ireland while USA have defeated Canada and Pakistan.

Against the USA, the Men In Green were disappointing in all three departments of the game, plus Babar’s captaincy and reactions on the field were poor as well.

While they might seem down on the mat right now, Babar’s side have the tools to defeat India in New York.

Here are 3 reasons why Pakistan might defeat India in New York:

Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Amir have had success against India

Shaheen and Amir have exploited the weakness of India’s top-order against left-arm pacers. Amir broke the back of India’s top-order in the Champions Trophy 2017 final and in the 2016 Asia Cup game. Shaheen did the same in the IND vs PAK match at the 2021 T20 World Cup and the Asia Cup 2023.

The Indian batters and fans wouldn’t have forgotten those spells from these two quicks. Both the seamers have pace and height, and they can swing the new ball prodigiously.

The New York pitch

The New York pitch in the first two matches of the tournament was terms as “bordering dangerous” by renowned coach Andy Flower. Rohit Sharma’s team reportedly expressed dissatisfaction over the pitch after the game against Ireland as Sharma and Rishabh Pant were hit on their arms by deliveries bouncing unexpectedly off a good length.

If the Ireland pacers caused this much trouble to the famed Indian batters, one can only imagine what the pace quartet of Amir, Shaheen, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah could do on the pitch at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium. The pitch there has extra spice in it for the pacers, with the balls bouncing inconsistently and dangerously for the batters. If even three of these four get going, they could blow away half of India’s batting up in smoke.

Only Pakistan can do a Pakistan

Pakistan simply are the most mercurial cricket team in the world. Laughingly, if there is one team that can suffer an early defeat and yet go on to win the tournament, it is Pakistan.

They were thrashed by India at the start of the 2017 Champions Trophy but went on to win the competition. Kohli handed them a heartbreaking defeat in the T20 World Cup 2022, but they won everything from thereon to reach the final. Going back in history, they went on a sensational run in the 1992 World Cup after early losses.

Pakistan can lose to a minnow team like the USA. But only they can, from hereon, win every game and lift the trophy. If their loss to the USA was a huge shock, they have the capability to stun everyone once again by defeating India.

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