India won the toss and elect to bowl
USA could only muster 110. After losing the toss, the hosts lost two wickets in the very first over, courtesy Arshdeep’s double strike. India kept a tight lid on the scoring rate and conceded just 18 runs off the powerplay. USA struggled to get any momentum and were tottering at 42/3 at the end of the tenth over. USA upped the ante after that as they scored 38 runs off the next four overs, thanks to Nitish Kumar’s 23-ball 27. Arshdeep Singh came back to remove the set batter and added one more wicket to his tally to finish with superb bowling figures of 4-0-9-4. USA kept losing wickets at regular intervals in the death overs to finish with a below-par score. Arshdeep was the pick of the bowlers, Hardik wasn’t too far behind, Siraj-Bumrah went wicketless, Axar picked up a wicket, Jadeja wasn’t used and Dube’s solitary over went for 11 runs. 111 is the target and India are mighty favorites to chase it down as this seems to be a pretty good to pitch to bat on.
Nitish Kumar – I think we’re disappointed to get this score from where we were (at one stage of our innings), we are 20 runs short, but we’ve the runs on the board, the wicket isn’t the easiest and we’ll look to defend. The crowd is always behind us and it’s nice to play in front of them.
A nervy little run chase for team India, don’t let the scoreboard trick you. They lost both Kohli and Rohit within 3 overs, as Netralvakar dismissed both openers to leave India at 10/2. Pant and Suryakumar stitched a partnership for a bit, but the southpaw got a skiddy delivery from Ali Khan that kept low and knocked over his stumps. The middle phase saw India’s batters pretty much go into a shell, as they played very slowly but managed to keep their wickets intact. Suryakumar Yadav took his time today, but proved that he could anchor a chase as well if needed. Dube started a bit tentatively but found his form later on as India got through a tricky period on a tricky surface to get over the line with more than an over to spare.
111 runs chased by India is the highest successful chase at New York ground.
Slowest fifty in T20 World Cup (by balls faced)
52 – Mohammad Rizwan vs CAN, New York, 2024
50 – David Miller vs NED, New York, 2024
49 – Devon Smith vs BAN, Jo’burg, 2007
49 – David Hussey vs ENG, Barbados, 2010
49 – Suryakumar Yadav vs USA, New York, 2024*
Arshdeep Singh | Player of the Match (4-0-9-4): Very very happy with the performance. In the last two games, I gave away little more runs, wasn’t happy with that. The team always shows belief in me and keep backing me, I had to deliver for them. The wicket is very conducive to fast bowlers and it’s helping us get some seam movement. The plan was simple, pitch it in the wicket and let the ball do the talking. Don’t give easy balls to score, our batsmen are also facing difficulties to score runs. The plan was to hit the hard lengths. In conditions like this, you can use the wicket more. When you are playing international cricket, you need to have some routines and the way you take care of your body counts. All the bowlers have done extremely well, looking forward to do the same in the next leg as well.
Aaron Jones: 10-15 runs short. If we got 130 then it would have been a tough total, that’s how it goes sometimes. The boys were very disciplined, really proud of the bowling unit. Feels good, this is what we wanted for USA cricket, enjoying it. We will recalibrate now, have a few meetings and come back strong. The wicket was a bit tricky, more suited for seam bowling. That’s why no spin. Mostly he (Monank Patel) should be fit for the last game, just got a slight niggle.
Rohit Sharma: Knew it would be tough. Credit to us for the way we held our nerve and got that partnership. Credit to Surya and Dube for showing the maturity and taking us through. (On the Indian American cricketers) Lot of these guys have played cricket together, very happy to see their progress. Saw them last year in MLC as well, they are all hard-working guys. (On the bowlers) We knew bowlers had to take the lead, run scoring was difficult. All the bowlers did the job, particularly Arshdeep. (On Dube bowling) You want options and we should be able to use them as and when we can. Today, the pitch favored the seamers so wanted to use him. (On qualifying) It is a big relief, playing cricket here wasn’t easy. We had to stick through till the end in all 3 games. Will take a lot of confidence from these wins. (On Suryakumar) He showed he has a different game to him, that’s what you expect from experienced players. Credit to the way he stuck through today to take the game deep and win it for us.