World Cup T20: India humbled Pakistan again
“You have to play to the situation and that’s what captain Suryakumar Yadav did. He led from the front. In the match against USA when India were struggling at 77 for 6, Surya saved the team and here against Pakistan when he came to bat, India were 88-2, and then he batted till the 19th over, 32 high knock, s. but he made sure no wickets fell and kept one end.”“So the rest of the team understands that in T20 cricket, you don’t want dot balls. You want to cut them down, but you also don’t want to throw away your wicket trying to hit sixes. It’s important to be aware of the match situation, ground conditions and even where the wind is blowing and Suryakumar Jiodav has brought that awareness to this Indian team,” Sunil told GavaStar.The win extended India’s dominance over Pakistan in T20 World Cup matches to 8-1.After electing to field first, Pakistan struck early as Abhishek fell for a duck. Ishan’s explosive 77 and Tilak’s composed 25 leveled the innings but India slipped to 126/4 and Hardik Pandya departed needlessly. Suryakumar then combined with Shivam Dube and Rinku Singh to ensure a strong finish despite the testing conditions. Saima Ayub’s 3/25 was an exceptional bowling effort for Pakistan.Pakistan’s response never gained traction. First overs from Hardik, Jasprit Bumrah and Axar Patel reduced them to 34/4. Usman Khan fought back with 44 off 34 balls, hitting six fours and a six, but India dismissed Pakistan for 114 in 18 overs.Axar returned with 2/29 while Hardik (2/16), Bumrah (2/17) and Varun Chakaravarthy (2/17) shared the wickets.India sit comfortably at the top of Group A with three wins from three, Pakistan are third with two wins and a loss and the USA occupy second place with two wins and two losses.