Pakistan won the toss and elect to bowl
This is a mega comeback from Pakistan. 89/3 to 119 all-out. India tried to attack the bowlers in the middle overs and hit balls to hand. Some of them stopped on the batters too. 140 would have been really challenging but 120 won’t be straightforward too. This is one of those tricky chases given the conditions. Naseem was the pick of the bowlers getting Virat, Axar and Dube. Rauf, who was taken for a hat-trick of fours, roared back to take three wickets. He was on a hat-trick with the ball and so was Amir as India kept picking out fielders in the infield. Pant was the lone batter who managed to score something significant. India are at least 20 shorts. But can their bowlers lift their game to negate it?
Mohammad Amir: As a bowling unit we did well but I still think it’s a decent total on this track. We’ll need to bat well. My role was to hit the right areas and build pressure on them, I think I did my job. We need to bat well and sensibly; all the games here have been a bit tricky and low-scoring. We need to start well and finish well.
First 10 overs: 81/3
Next 9 overs: 38/7
Lowest totals for India in T20 World Cups
79 vs NZ Nagpur 2016
110/7 vs NZ Dubai 2021
118/8 vs SA Nottingham 2009
119 vs Pak New York 2024 *
First time Pakistan have bowled out India in T20 Internationals
Two losses on the bounce for Pakistan in this tournament, and their poor record against India continues. Naseem is in tears. Emotions running high for the Pakistan players who are on the brink of elimination. They were in reasonable control of the chase around the 10-over point. With as many as nine wickets in hand and the asking rate only around 6, they should’ve been able to get the job done despite the up-and-down nature of the surface. But as we’ve seen time and again, some poor choices with the bat let them down. Rizwan, in particular, will look back at that shot against Bumrah that was a big part of the collapse. India bowled well, but even when they didn’t – like those two full tosses from Bumrah to Iftikhar – Pakistan weren’t able to capitalise. They went without a boundary for six overs before the last over, leaving them with 18 to get off 6 balls. And that was never happening with Arshdeep nailing his Yorkers so beautifully.
Jasprit Bumrah | Player of the Match: It feels really good. We felt we were a little under and the wicket got a little better after the sun came out. We were really disciplined so it feels good. Tried to hit the seam as much as I could, tried to be as clear as I could with my execution and it all came out well so I felt happy. Felt like we were playing in India, really happy with the support and that gives us energy on the field. We focus on the now. We’ve played two games and played really well. You stick to your processes and look to play well.
Jaspirt Bumrah – Player of the match vs Pakistan in Ahmedabad in ODI World Cup 2023 (2/19) and T20 World Cup 2024 (3/14).
Most wins against an opponent in T20 WC (including wins in ties)
7 India vs Pakistan
6 Pakistan vs Bangladesh
6 Sri Lanka vs West Indies
Lowest targets successfully defended vs Pakistan in T20Is
119 by Zim Harare 2021
120 by India New York 2024 *
128 by Aus Melbourne 2010
130 by Eng Abu Dhabi 2012
131 by Zim Perth 2022
Lowest targets successfully defended in T20 WCs
120 SL vs NZ Chattogram 2014
120 Ind vs Pak New York 2024 *
124 Afg vs WI Nagpur 2016
127 NZ vs Ind Nagpur 2016
129 SA vs NZ Lord’s 2009
Lowest targets successfully defended by India in T20I
120 vs Pak New York 2024 *
139 vs Zim Harare 2016
145 vs Eng Nagpur 2017
147 vs Ban Bengaluru 2016
Babar, Pakistan captain: We bowled well. In the batting, lost back to back wickets and had too much dot balls. Tactics was simple to play normally. Just strike rotation and the odd boundary. But in that period, we had too many dot balls. Can’t expect much from tailenders. Our mind was to utilise first six overs in batting. But one wicket down, and again we weren’t up to the mark in first six. Pitch looked decent. Ball was coming on nicely. It was a little bit slow, and some balls extra bounce. Have to win last two matches. Will sit and discuss our mistakes but looking forward to last two matches.
Rohit, India captain: We didn’t bat well enough. Halfway through our innings we were in good position. We didn’t put enough partnership there and fell short with the bat. We spoke about every run matter on a pitch like that. There was enough in the pitch. Was a good wicket to be honest, compared to the last game? With a bowling line-up like that you feel confident to do the job. Halfway through the stage when they were batting, we got everyone together and said that if it can happen to us, it can happen to them. Little contribution from everyone can make huge difference. He’s going from strength to strength (Bumrah). We all know what he can do. Not going to talk too much about him. Want him to be in that mindset throughout the WC. He’s a genius, we all know that. Crowd was superb. They never disappoint wherever we play. I’m sure they’ll be going home with a big smile. It’s just the start, we have a long way to go.
Another tight game between these two teams at the T20 World Cup with India coming out on top. Pakistan will be absolutely gutted. They seemed to have that under control before losing their grip in the final few overs. Both captains agreed the pitch was better today, and India were looking in the region of 140. But even after a big collapse with the bat, leaving them with just 119 to defend, they got the job done.