NEW YORK: India pulled off a stunning comeback victory against arch-rivals Pakistan in the group stage encounter of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024.
India, who seemed down and out at one stage, snatched a miraculous victory from the jaws of defeat as the 'Men in Blue' edged past their fiercest rivals by 6 runs in a thrilling match held at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York.
Electing to field first, Pakistan produced a sublime bowling performance as they bowled out a star-studded Indian batting line-up for just 119 runs in 19 overs.
The formidable Pakistani bowling attack made life difficult for the Indian batters in this tricky pitch as the fast bowling duo of Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf picked up three wickets each while veteran pacer Mohammad Amir grabbed two.
Shaheen Afridi also chipped in with a crucial wicket as he dismissed Indian skipper Rohit Sharma for just 13 runs early in the innings.
The Indian batting looked vulnerable from the start as they lost wickets at regular intervals and failed to even stitch together a good partnership.
Barring Rishabh Pants knock of 42 runs in 31 balls, it turned out to be a disappointing outing for the explosive Indian batters as none of them got going.
Considering the pitch condition, India found themselves in a decent position of 81 for 3 after 10 overs but what followed was a batting collpase as the side scored 38 runs and lost 7 wickets in the next 9 overs.
Chasing a modest target of 120, the Pakistani batters started off well and were solidly put at 73 for 3 in 12.1 overs, needing run-a-ball 47 to register a famous victory in front of a packed stadium.
However, there was a late twist to this nail-biting fixture as Indian fast bowling sensation Jumrah Bumrah turned the game on its head with some stellar bowling display.
The fiery pacer ripped through the defenses of the Pakistani batters in a match-winning spell, registering an impressive figure of 3-14 in 4 overs and played a key role in restricting Pakistan to 113 for 7 in 20 overs.
Hardik Pandya also chipped in with two crucial wickets as the Pakistani batters lost momentum during the business end of their chase and fell short of the target by just 6 runs.
ALSO READ: French Open: Carlos Alcaraz wins maiden Roland Garros title
ALSO WATCH: