Disconsolate Naseem Shah, Rohit Sharma and Shaheen Afridi can't wipe away tears after India beat Pakistan to lead 7-1 - ePaperToday.in (2024)

Pakistan almost ended their World Cup caper against India, but in the end, the result was what everyone expected. Rohit Sharma and his boys went top of Group A after India held on and brilliantly defended 119 to claim a narrow victory. six-point victory in a low-scoring thriller at Nassau County Stadium in New York on Sunday.

Naseem Shah, who was left with the improbable task of fetching 16 off the last 3 balls, swung his bat as best he could, but it was not to be. After a scoop shot for a four and another clear boundary on the penultimate ball of the match bowled by Arshdeep Singh, 8 for 1 was a settled match and a match in favor of India. And once the left-winger delivered the perfect yorker, securing India's victory, the rush of emotions was too much for Naseem to take. Two years after smoking consecutive sixes against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup to see his team cross the finish line, Naseem couldn't get the job done, disappointment streaming down his cheeks in the form of tears .

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Naseem would be seen trying to hide them, despite Shaheen Afridi wrapping his arms around him and Indian captain Rohit patting him on the back for his efforts. But ultimately, one team reigned supreme, and last night, it was Rohit's Indian team.

At the halfway mark, everything seemed to be heading towards 2-6 for Pakistan after India bottled their innings to be bowled out for 119. They were 89/3 at the halfway mark with Rishabh pants looking set, but a stunning comeback from the Pakistani bowlers sparked an Indian collapse of 7/30 with Naseem and Haris Rauf picking up three wickets each, supported by 2/23 from Mohammad Amir. However, India, in a somewhat topsy-turvy second innings, managed to achieve the lowest successfully defended target in the history of T20 World Cups, thanks to the magic of Jasprit Bumrah .

Watch Naseem in tears below:

The Indian pacer, who just won the Player of the Match award against Ireland, won another such award for bowling for centuries. Bumrah's 3/14 was the key difference for India as he bowled Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed to stifle Pakistan's bowling. 120 was not a difficult goal. Yes, the outfield was heavy, but with the sun beating down, the moisture in the pitch that supported Pakistan's bowlers was drying at knots. A running target is something you would assume a hitting team could go after, right?

BUZZER! Wrong, said Bumrah, who gave India their first breakthrough through the wicket of captain Babar and then cleaning up Rizwan, who had batted painfully for a 44-ball 31. The fact that Pakistan played 59 dot balls was decisive, with Hardik Pandya's 2. /24 and the valuable 16 runs added with the bat by Mohammad Siraj and Arshdeep. Hardik bounced Fakhar Zaman and Shadab Khan to pick up two crucial wickets as India slowly cooked Pakistan's batting and got back into the match.

How India applied strangulation

Fakhar hit a six and a four to declare his intent, and Imad Wasim struggled to connect bat and ball. Axar's three consecutive points against Imad in the 16th over marked the beginning of the end for Pakistan. Bumrah came back for a final roll of the dice, allowing Iftikhar to take the upper hand on a full roll. Arshdeep and Suryakumar Yadav almost had a Kaif-Badani moment in 2004, but no harm was done.

To say that India's victory is as important as Melbourne 2022 should not be an exaggeration. At one point, the win predictor was reading 92 percent in Pakistan's favor and 8 percent in India's favor, especially considering how the first innings went. India were on course to finish with at least 160, despite the nature of the pitch. Rohit and Virat Kohli had got out cheaply, but Pant's electric 42 balls and Axar Patel's 20 off 18 after a batting promotion had opened the floodgates, but it must be acknowledged that the Pakistani pacers exploited the conditions brilliantly . If only their batters could have imitated half the efforts of their bowlers.

News / Cricket News / Disconsolate Naseem Shah, Rohit Sharma and Shaheen Afridi can't wipe away tears after India beat Pakistan to lead 7-1