India survived a scare on Sunday. They managed to hold nerves in their narrow six-run win against Pakistan in New York in their T20 World Cup group-stage tie. After being shocked by co-host USA in the Super Over at Dallas on Friday, Pakistan recovered well to dismiss India for 119 in 19 overs on another tricky pitch at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium. However, the 2009 champions stuttered their chase to 113 for seven in 20 overs against a menacing pace attack.Jasprit Bumrah was the pick of the bowlers for India as he finished with match-winning figures of 3 wickets for 14 runs in four overs, which comprised 11 dot balls and a solitary boundary. Hardik Pandya, too, chipped away with 2 for 24.At one point in the match, Pakistan were cruising towards their second-ever T20 World Cup win against India, the first in three years since that evening in Dubai. They were 80 for three in 14 overs with Mohammad Rizwan dictating the terms for Pakistan, until Bumrah got the better of him and Iftikhar Ahmed in a terrific spell. Pakistan’s middle-order batters were then choked so much in the death overs that it could only manage two boundaries in that phase, before succumbing to a six-run loss.
Former India cricketer and batting legend Sachin Tendulkar took a cheeky dig at Pakistan following Men in Blue’s victory, while praising the bowlers. His former teammate Virender Sehwag, on the other hand, was full of praise for Bumrah’s heroics.
“India vs Pakistan. New continent, same result. T20 may be a batters’ game, but in New York, bowlers were the Apple of our eyes today. What a thrilling match! Great atmosphere and a wonderful exhibition of our great game in America. Well played, India #INDvPAK #T20WorldCup,” Sachin tweeted. Meanwhile, Sehwag wrote: “Haar se Jitane waale ko Bumrah kehte hain. What a fabulous spell and a very special win in New York.”Former T20 World Cup winner Yuvraj Singh, who is also one of the brand ambassadors of this year’s edition of the tournament, reckoned that India’s win was down to a captaincy masterclass from Rohit Sharma in the way he rotated his bowling options.“India wins a thrilling low-scoring contest against Pakistan! Rohit’s @ImRo45 strategic masterclass shines through! As his clever use of bowlers was the game-changer. Pakistan’s batting struggled to counter India’s precise attack. Well-deserved win for Team India! Well played @RishabhPant17 and well bowled @Jaspritbumrah93 @hardikpandya7 @imjadeja @arshdeepsinghh #INDvPAK #Cricket #TeamIndia #T20WorldCup #axarpatel
