NEW DELHI: India suffered a significant batting collapse, losing their last 7 wickets for a mere 30 runs, leaving them disappointed with their performance against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup match in New York on Sunday.
Losing the toss put India’s openers in a challenging position from the start. Despite Rohit Sharma hitting an early maximum before the rain interruption, neither he nor Virat Kohli could make a substantial impact after the resumption of play.
Axar Patel, batting at number four, took his chances, as did Rishabh Pant, to keep the scoreboard moving. Although Axar couldn’t capitalize on his start, Pant continued to play risky shots and maintained a steady pace.
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India had a solid foundation at the halfway point, but Suryakumar Yadav’s dismissal at the score of 89 in the 12th over triggered a collapse, with wickets falling at regular intervals.
India’s last hope, Hardik Pandya, failed to make a significant contribution, resulting in India posting a modest total of 119 runs in 19 overs.
Pakistan’s pace attack, led by Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah, has delivered a stellar performance, living up to the expectations of their captain, Babar Azam. The duo set the stage by dismissing both Indian openers early in the innings.
Naseem struck again after the Powerplay, but Pakistan struggled to control the flow of runs and displayed some lapses in their bowling. However, when called upon to break a thriving partnership, Haris Rauf stepped up and provided Pakistan with a crucial breakthrough.
Naseem Shah and Mohammad Amir soon joined the wicket-taking spree, and the trio maintained the pressure on the Indian batting lineup.
Despite a hint of complacency creeping into their fielding towards the end, they managed to bowl out India for the first time in a T20I match, preventing them from staging a recovery.