On this day in 2024: India snatched victory from jaws of defeat against Pakistan in ICC T20 World Cup

India defeated Pakistan by six runs in the thrilling clash in ICC T20 World Cup 2024.

One year ago, the Indian Cricket Team bagged a magnificent victory against Pakistan in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. West Indies and the United States of America (USA) were the hosts of the ICC tournament. A total of 20 teams were part of the tournament and were divided into four groups.

Each group had five teams, and every team faced each other once during the group stage. Out of them, the top two teams from each group in the points table qualified for the Super Eight round. India and Pakistan were placed in the same Group A. The other three teams in their group were the USA, Canada, and Ireland.

Rohit Sharma was the captain of the Indian Cricket Team in the tournament. Babar Azam had the reins of the Pakistan Cricket Team. India and Pakistan entered the clash on the back of one game each in the group stage of the tournament.

The Rohit Sharma & Co. crushed Ireland by eight wickets to make a fabulous start to the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. On the contrary, the Babar Azam-led side lost to the USA in a super over, to face a huge setback. Moreover, it also came as one of the biggest upsets in the history of the ICC T20 World Cups.

Pakistan bowlers bundled out India for low total in first innings

India and Pakistan faced each other at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York. Pakistan skipper Babar Azam won the toss and opted to bowl first in the encounter. Skipper Sharma opened the innings with Virat Kohli for India.

However, both of them lost their wickets cheaply. Naseem Shah gave the first blow to India by dismissing Kohli in the second over for four runs. In the next over, Shaheen Afridi dismantled Sharma for 13 runs.

Rishabh Pant, who walked out at three, scored the most 42 runs with the bat, while the rest of the Indian wickets fell like a pack of cards. Key batters like Suryakumar Yadav (7), Shivam Dube (3), Hardik Pandya (7), and Ravindra Jadeja failed to go big with the bat.

Pakistan bowlers showed a wonderful teamwork as they bundled out the opposition for just 119 in 19 overs in the first innings. Pacers Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah bagged three wickets each. Mohammad Amir picked up two wickets while Shaheen Afridi got one wicket.

India made a fabulous comeback in the second innings

While the 120-run target looked quite easy for Pakistan, it was far more challenging than expected. Senior members Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam opened the innings and got off to a patient start in batting.

Jasprit Bumrah gave the first breakthrough to India in the fifth over to dismiss skipper Azam for 13 runs. However, in powerplay overs, the men in green reached decent 35 runs on the scoreboard for the loss of one wicket.

Rizwan and Usman Khan showed patience during the low chase and took the scoreboard to 57/1 at the end of 10 overs. However, Axar Patel gave the next breakthrough to dismiss Khan in the 11th over. Opener Rizwan kept the winning hopes alive, however, Bumrah dismissed him in the 15th over for 31 runs.

Like India, Pakistan too faced a battling collapse in the middle-order. Usman Khan (13), Fakhar Zaman (13), Imad Wasim (15), and Shadab Khan (4) lost their wickets cheaply. Indian bowlers showed a spectacular fightback during the chase. While Bumrah bagged three wickets, Hardik Pandya got two wickets. Arshdeep Singh and Axar Patel captured one wicket each.

Till the 19th over, the Babar Azam & Co. lost six wickets on the scoreboard for 102 runs. They needed 18 runs off the final over of Arshdeep. However, the left-arm pacer clinched one wicket and leaked just 11 runs to drive India to victory by six runs.

Pakistan finished with 113/7 on the scoreboard in the end. Bumrah won the player of the match award for his fabulous four-over spell of 14 runs for three wickets. Later, India won the trophy in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 by defeating South Africa in the final. On the other hand, Pakistan faced a first-round exit as India and the USA made it to the Super Eight round from Group A.

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