India vs Pakistan, T20 World Cup 2024 Match Report: Bumrah and Pandya script jailbreak win for India over Pakistan

India's Rishabh Pant, left, plays a shot during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup cricket match between India and Pakistan at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in Westbury, New York, Sunday, June 9, 2024. AP/PTI

India had no business winning this match. Skittled for 119 on a spicy pitch after two rain delays, they stormed back to to restrict Pakistan to 113-7. In the process, they also pushed their bitter rivals to the brink of elimination from the tournament. Rishabh Pant’s throw-the-kitchen sink 42 underpinned a poor batting effort, while Jasprit Bumrah (3 for 14) and Hardik Pandya (2 for 24) were quite magnificent with the ball.

With so few runs on the board, India needed immediate breakthroughs. Rohit Sharma, however, chose to start with Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj. When Bumrah was brought on in the third over, he should have had a wicket with this fourth ball. Mohammad Rizwan clipped one uppishly off the pads, but Shivam Dube at fine leg put down the easiest of catches. In the very next over, Siraj grassed a much harder chance, as Babar Azam clubbed one back at him.

India didn’t pay for that second lapse, with Bumrah producing a peach of a ball that took the outer edge of Babar’s bat. Suryakumar Yadav took a fine low catch to his left at slip. Pandya could then have run Usman Khan out, but his shy at the bowler’s end missed with the batsman marooned.

Rizwan took no chances, but would occasionally show glimpses of his shot-making ability. There was a lovely six over extra-cover off Hardik, and an inside-out drive against the usually metronomic Ravindra Jadeja.

Axar Patel was introduced and trapped Usman in front – India reviewed after the initial not-out call – but Fakhar Zaman’s arrival at the crease immediately boosted the run-rate. A straight six off Axar and a tickle for four off Arshdeep pushed Pakistan back up to a run a ball, just what was needed.

What followed wasn’t. A short ball from Hardik, and a wild flail that went off the top edge for Pant to take a fantastic tumbling catch running back. But the key was always Rizwan, and once 14 overs had ticked over, Rohit turned to Bumrah for his third of the innings. With his first ball, he cleaned up Rizwan with one that angled in and beat an ugly swipe.

A brilliant over from Axar then ratcheted up the pressure, and it was Shadab Khan that cracked, miscuing a pull for Pant to run and catch at short fine leg. The experienced Imad Wasim and the usually big-hitting Iftikhar Ahmed could get no momentum going at all, and when Bumrah came back for the penultimate over, they could take just three from the first five balls. With 18 still needed, Iftikhar had no option but to swing for the hills off a low full toss. It flew into the New York sky, and though he nearly collided with Axar, Arshdeep held on.

And with the first ball of the final over, Arshdeep hammered one more nail into the coffin, as Imad inside-edged one behind for Pant to take a sensational diving catch. With 16 needed from 3, Naseem Shah struck two fours, but it was all too little, and far too late.

Earlier, India’s collapse was as calamitous, with seven wickets falling for just 30 runs in the space of 7.4 overs. After a disastrous start, they had rebuilt, first through Rishabh Pant and Axar, and then, briskly, through Pant and Suryakumar. But when Surya spooned a catch to mid-off as the bat turned in his hand against Haris Rauf, the slide began.

Dube, who looked all at sea, lobbed a return catch to Naseem, but the next blow was the jaw-breaker. Pant tried to smash Mohammad Amir down the ground and only found the safe hands of Babar behind the bowler. Jadeja tapped the very next ball tamely to cover, and Rauf then mopped up the rest, including Hardik, whose nonchalant flick found the fielder in the deep.

Pant’s 42, the only innings of note, was itself laced with luck. Arriving at the crease after seeing Virat Kohli toe-end a cut to point off Naseem, his first scoring strokes were edges that evaded Pakistani hands. Even after seeing Rohit strike his patented pick-up shot into the hands of Rauf at deep square leg, his approach didn’t change. Three consecutive fours off Rauf got the innings ticking over, and with Axar providing good support, India looked to be back on track. Axar was cleaned up by Naseem, but Surya and Pant changed the momentum with some sprightly strokeplay. Ultimately, those runs were to prove decisive.

In exclusive arrangement with RevSportz