In a gripping encounter at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, Pakistan’s Green Shirts were handed a surprising six-run defeat by India in their World Cup Group A match.
Despite an impressive performance by the Pakistani bowlers, who restricted India to a modest total of 119 after winning the toss, the team fell short in their chase, ending at 113-7. Jasprit Bumrah emerged as the hero for India, delivering crucial wickets and finishing with remarkable figures of 3-14 in his four overs.
Pakistan bowled India out for 119 in 19 overs, with Mohammad Rizwan contributing a well-paced 31 runs in Pakistan’s innings. Pakistan started positively, not losing a wicket in the first over. However, they failed to capitalize on the early advantage when skipper Babar Azam fell to Bumrah after scoring just 13 runs.
Usman Khan then joined Mohammad Rizwan, providing some stability, but the partnership was short-lived as Rizwan was bowled by Bumrah for 31, just as he seemed poised to guide Pakistan to victory. Fakhar Zaman (13 off 8), Shadab Khan (4 off 7), and Imad Wasim (15 off 23) all failed to build significant partnerships, leaving Pakistan struggling.
Bumrah’s exceptional bowling proved decisive as he dismantled Pakistan’s middle order. Hardik Pandya supported Bumrah’s efforts with two wickets, while Arshdeep Singh and Axar Patel chipped in with one wicket each.
Earlier in the first innings, Pakistani bowlers dominated the Indian batters, not giving them much room to shine in one of the tournament’s most anticipated matches. Naseem Shah set the tone by removing Virat Kohli for just four runs in his first over, followed by Shaheen Afridi taking the wicket of Indian skipper Rohit Sharma in the next over.
Axar Patel, batting at number four, attempted to stabilize the innings but was dismissed by Naseem in the eighth over. Rishabh Pant and Suryakumar Yadav combined to provide a brief resurgence for India, but Yadav’s dismissal by Haris Rauf initiated a collapse.
The Indian team lost wickets rapidly thereafter, with Amir removing Pant (42 off 31) and Ravindra Jadeja in quick succession during the 15th over. Haris Rauf continued to apply pressure, and India was soon all out for 119 runs in 19 overs.
Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf were the stars for Pakistan with the ball, each taking three wickets. Amir took two wickets, and Shaheen Afridi added one to the tally.
Despite the strong bowling performance, Pakistan’s batting lineup failed to deliver, resulting in a disappointing defeat against their arch-rivals. The Green Shirts will need to regroup and strategize for their upcoming matches to stay competitive in the tournament.
