Twitter reacts as India collapse dramatically against Pakistan

In the highly anticipated Group A match of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 held at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York, Pakistan won the toss and elected to field first against India. The decision paid off as the Pakistani bowlers put up a commendable performance, restricting India to 119 runs in 19 overs.

India’s start was shaky with Virat Kohli falling early for just four runs off three balls, caught by Usman Khan off Naseem Shah’s bowling. Rohit Sharma, the Indian skipper, followed suit, scoring 13 runs off 12 balls before being dismissed by Shaheen Shah Afridi, leaving India at 19/2 in 2.4 overs.

Rishabh Pant anchored the innings with a solid 42 off 31 balls, including six boundaries. However, the middle order crumbled around him. Axar Patel contributed 20 runs from 18 balls, but his dismissal at 58/3 in 7.4 overs initiated a collapse. Suryakumar Yadav, scoring seven off eight balls, and Shivam Dube, with three off nine balls, couldn’t build on Pant’s foundation, both falling cheaply.

The latter half of the innings saw a flurry of wickets. Rishabh Pant’s departure at 96/6 in 14.1 overs marked the beginning of the end for India. Haris Rauf and Mohammad Amir were instrumental in this phase, with Rauf taking crucial wickets of Hardik Pandya (seven off 12 balls) and Jasprit Bumrah (0 off one ball), and Amir dismissing Ravindra Jadeja for a golden duck.

Despite a brief resistance from Arshdeep Singh (nine off 13 balls) and Mohammed Siraj (seven not out off seven balls), India were bowled out for 119 in 19 overs. The last wicket fell to a run-out, capping off a disciplined bowling performance by Pakistan.

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Naseem Shah was the standout bowler with figures of 3/21 in 4 overs. Haris Rauf also claimed three wickets, conceding 21 runs in his three overs. Mohammad Amir chipped in with two wickets for 23 runs in his four overs. Shaheen Shah Afridi and the supporting bowlers kept the pressure on, ensuring India could not build any significant partnerships.

India’s total of 119 seems below par on a good batting surface, with the last five overs yielding only 23 runs for the loss of five wickets, at a run rate of 4.60. Pakistan's disciplined bowling attack and sharp fielding, including a pivotal run-out and a successful review, have set a challenging task for India to defend this modest total. 

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