Jasprit Bumrah played a key role as India defeated Pakistan by six runs in a low-scoring T20 World Cup match in New York on Sunday.
India were bowled out by Pakistan for 119 in 19 overs. Mohammad Rizwan scored 31 for Pakistan, but Bumrah's 3-14 in four overs proved decisive as Pakistan ended on 113-7.
Despite difficult batting conditions, a record crowd of 34,028 for an international cricket match in the USA witnessed a tight contest.
Pakistan needed exactly a run a ball. They positioned themselves needing 40 runs from the last six overs but struggled against Bumrah's bowling.
"Bumrah is going from strength to strength. I'm not going to talk too much about him, we want him to be in that kind of mindset till the end of this World Cup, he's a genius with the ball," said India captain Rohit Sharma. He also praised the team's fans for their support.
"The crowd was superb, they never disappoint. Wherever we play in the world, they come out in huge numbers and support us. They'll be going home with a big smile on their face. Just the start of the tournament, we have a long way to go," he said.
Bumrah took the vital wicket of Pakistan captain Babar Azam (13) early and dismissed Mohammad Rizwan (31) in the 15th over when Pakistan were 80-4.
In the penultimate over, with Pakistan needing 21 to win, Bumrah conceded just three runs and removed Iftikhar Ahmed with his final delivery.
Pakistan needed 18 runs from the final over. Arshdeep Singh trapped Imad Wasim lbw with the first ball, making it harder for Pakistan. Naseem Shah hit two fours but India secured their second win of the tournament.
For Pakistan, the loss, following a defeat to the USA, leaves them without a point. They need to win against Canada and Ireland to advance to the Super Eight stage.
"We've still got a chance in the tournament, we get two wins, we've still got a chance to go through, so we're still hopeful that things can play in our hands, obviously we've got to play a lot better cricket than what we are playing," said Pakistan coach Gary Kirsten.
"We had that game for 35 of the 40 overs, we played good cricket, we did everything that we needed to, so it's a disappointing loss," he added.
Earlier, Pakistan's bowlers gave their team a chance with Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf claiming three wickets each as India were dismissed with an over remaining.
Rishabh Pant's 42 from 31 balls gave India something to defend after they lost openers Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli cheaply following a rain delay.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam won the toss and opted to bowl. Rohit hit Shaheen Shah Afridi's third ball over mid-wicket for six. But after one over, rain caused a 36-minute delay. When play resumed, Pakistan's attack struck quickly.
Naseem Shah removed Kohli, who reached for a wide delivery and was caught at point by Usman Khan. Rohit was caught by Rauf attempting to hit Afridi over midwicket, leaving India at 19-2.
India added only 24 runs for their last five wickets and lost their final wicket to a run out with six balls remaining.
Bumrah's performance secured a significant win for the tournament favourites.
(AFP)
People's Bulletin boardICYMI
