India v Pakistan LIVE: Result and reaction from T20 World Cup in New York as India defend low total in win
India beat Pakistan by six runs at Nassau County International Stadium
India beat Pakistan by six runs in the most highly-anticipated group match of the 2024 T20 World Cup in New York.
Pakistan were left reeling after a shock super-over defeat to the United States in Dallas on Thursday but failed to bounce back in one of the fiercest rivalries in sport as they restricted India to 119 all out from their 20 overs but then were heled to 113-7 themselves.
Only two teams will qualify from Group A and India look all but through after they had started their campaign with a dominant victory over Ireland before this win, as they went into the tournament among the favourites, despite not having won a major international event since the 2013 Champions Trophy.
However, there have been serious questions raised about the playing surface on the pop-up stadium in Nassau County, with the ICC admitting the pitch is not up to standard and would be subject to ‘remedies’ before the flagship game.
Relive all the live action in the blog below.
India 90-4 (12 overs) - Dube 0; Pant 40
Shivam Dube the man in at No 6 for India and Rauf completes a superb over by getting a ball to rear up at him. Just a single off the final ball scoring-wise in that one, plus the wicket.
Pant is the key man for India now, you feel
WICKET! Suryakumar Yadav c Mohammad Amir b Haris Rauf 7 (India 89-4, 11.2 overs)
And Haris Rauf, as he so often does, makes the breakthrough to take a much-needed wicket. Yadav has very much had a watching brief as Pant has opened his shoulders and when he tries to get in on the act, it goes wrong.
A scoop straight to Amir at mid-off and Yadav spliced it rather than catching it cleanly. They’d have preferred Pant but a wicket nonetheless for Pakistan
India 89-3 (11 overs) - Yadav 7; Pant 40
Decent over by Imad Wasim but Pant produces a gorgeous reverse sweep for FOUR runs as the highlight of the over.
India 81-3 (10 overs) - Yadav 5; Pant 34
Haris Rauf is handed the ball by his skipper and Rishabh Pant goes full Rishabh Pant! An ill-advised slower ball is crunched for FOUR with a lofted cover drive before a typically acrobatic shot sees him falling away to his left and ramping the ball to the right for FOUR more to fine leg.
A third FOUR of the over as he flicks a ball on his legs more conventionally to fine leg for another boundary. Thirteen off the over as Pant moves to 34.
India 68-3 (9 overs) - Yadav 5; Pant 21
Slow left-armer Imad Wasim into the attack and he almost has an immediate breakthrough. Pant top-edges the ball straight up and Usman Khan sprints to try and get there but despite a full-length dive, the ball is just beyond his fingertips as it hits the ground. So close!
Nice first over from Imad as India only take six off it.
India 62-3 (8 overs) - Yadav 4; Pant 17
Suryakumar Yadav the man in at No 5 and he punches a cracking straight drive down the ground for FOUR off the second ball.
Axar Patel b Naseem Shah 20 (India 58-3, 7.4 overs)
Naseem Shah bowls his second over AND GETS THE BREAKTHROUGH! Axar Patel’s stumps fly everywhere as he comes down the pitch, Naseem gets the ball to nip back and he’s skittled for 20 off 18 balls. Pakistan needed that
India 57-2 (7 overs) - Axar 20; Pant 16
50 in the six powerplay overs is solid from India and eight wickets in hand as well. As the fielding restrictions are loosened, Iftikhar Ahmed comes into the attack and it’s pretty tight until the final ball when Axar dances down the track and lofts him straight down the ground for FOUR!
Very nice shot - the partnership between these two is suddenly at 38
DROPPED CATCH AND 50 UP! India 50-2 (6 overs) - Axar 15; Pant 15
CLOSE! Amir stays on after a drinks break for Axar to change his pads and Pant flashes hard at the first ball of the over. Slip dives full length to his left and the thick edge only juuuuust eludes him for FOUR!
The next ball sees Usman Khan DROP A CATCH! Tough chance as he’s running from cover point with the ball dropping over his shoulder and he gets hands on it but floors it, allowing them to run three.
Then another FOUR, once again off Pant’s edge, full swinging away from the stumps and edged high over the slips. That’s 50 UP! India going at a decent rate and got 12 off that over but it felt hugely unconvincing.
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