India vs Pakistan Highlights, T20 World Cup 2024: India win low-scoring thriller against Pakistan by 6 runs

Brilliant fightback from the Indians in their defence of a modest 120-run target. Pakistan were cruising at 73/2 with plenty of wickets and overs in their kitty and two experienced batters in Mohammad Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman at the centre. And yet, the spirited Indian attack found a way to not only claw their way back into the contest but walk away with a ‘W’ in the end — the prospect of which appeared impossible at one point.

Not only is this India’s lowest total successfully defended in T20Is, it also brings back memories of India’s famous victory over Pakistan in Sharjah in 1985, in which the Kapil Dev-led side successfully defended 125 against their arch-rivals.

Jasprit Bumrah is the Player of the Match for his superb figures of 3/14!

“It feels really good. We felt we were a little under and the wicket got a little better after the sun came out. We were really disciplined so it feels good. Tried to hit the seam as much as I could, tried to be as clear as I could with my execution and it all came out well so I felt happy. Felt like we were playing in India, really happy with the support and that gives us energy on the field,” says the leader of the Indian attack.

After 20 overs, Pakistan 113/7 (Shaheen Shah Afridi 0; Naseem Shah 10)

INDIA WIN A LOW-SCORING THRILLER IN NEW YORK BY 6 RUNS! Arshdeep does the needful after being entrusted with defending 18 from six balls, getting rid of Imad Wasim in the first delivery! Naseem Shah makes things a bit interesting by collecting a couple of boundaries in the fourth and fifth balls, but fails to get his team over the line in the end as the Indians — both the players on the field and their fans in the stands — celebrate wildly!

OUT! Arshdeep has Imad caught-behind at the start of the final over, with the latter getting a faint bottom edge off a yorker-length delivery from the left-arm pacer. Imad was the set batter at the crease, and his departure is a body blow for the Pakistanis! **PAK 102/7; need 18 off 5
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Imad c Pant b Arshdeep 15(23)

After 18 overs, Pakistan 99/5 (Imad Wasim 13, Iftikhar Ahmed 5)

Pandya signs off with figures of 2/24, dismissing Shadab in his final over after following his movement and bowling an even shorter delivery to induce a top-edge that results in a catch for Pant behind the stumps. Siraj’s guilty of overstepping from the other end besides bowling a wide in the following over, but manages to avoid conceding a boundary. He signs off with figures of 0/19 at the end of his quota. Pakistan need 21 off 12 with five wickets in hand.

After 19 overs, Pakistan 102/6 (Imad Wasim 15, iftikhar Ahmed 5)

Bumrah starts off with an off-cutter that Imad steers towards short third for a single. That is followed by two precious dots, with Bumrah bowling a steep bouncer in the third delivery. Leg bye added in the fourth delivery followed by a single to Imad in the fifth, in which the southpaw nearly is run-out at the non-striker’s end. Bumrah then removes Iftikhar in the final delivery to sign off with figures of 3/14!

OUT! Bumrah strikes in his final delivery of the evening, getting rid of Iftikhar Ahmed with a rapid full toss that induces a thick top-edge towards long leg. Arshdeep and SKY converge towards the ball and end up colliding, though the former completes the catch safely! PAK 102/6

Iftikhar c Arshdeep b Bumrah 5(9)

OUT! Pandya bounces Shadab out as Pakistan lose their fifth wicket! Shadab attempts to pull a short delivery that was bowled quite close to his body, getting a thick top-edge that results in a simple catch for Rishabh Pant, leading to a massive roar from the Indian section of the crowd! PAK 88/5

Shadab c Pant b Pandya 4(7)

After 16 overs, Pakistan 85/4 (Imad Wasim 8, Shadab Khan 2)

Good over by Axar, conceding a single each to Imad and Shadab, leaving Pakistan 35 to win off 24 balls with six wickets in hand!

After 15 overs, Pakistan 83/4 (Imad Wasim 7, Shadab Khan 1)

BOWLED! Jasprit Bumrah gets the prized wicket of Mohammad Rizwan, breaching his defence with a full delivery that tails back in slightly! The pacer breaks into wild celebrations as India keep their hopes alive!

Rizwan b Bumrah 31(44)

OUT! Fakhar becomes the third Pakistani batter to fall for 13 today, getting a bat-shoulder deflection that lobs the ball over the keeper. Pant pedals a couple of steps backwards to complete a fine catch! PAK 73/3

Fakhar c Pant b Pandya 13(8)

After 10 overs, Pakistan 57/1 (Mohammad Rizwan (wk) 27, Usman Khan 13)

FOUR! Easy boundary for Usman, the first of his innings, as he advances down the track and goes inside out over extra cover off Pandya’s bowling. This after he was nearly run-out at the non-striker’s end while scrambling for a needless run. Collects a brace and a single later in the over to bring up Pakistan’s 50. FOUR! Rizwan ruins what was turning out to be a tidy over from Jadeja by collecting a boundary in the final delivery of the 10th over, lofting the ball over the cover region.

Drinks called on the field at the halfway stage of the chase, with Pakistan needing 63 to win off 60 with nine wickets in hand.

After 8 overs, Pakistan 42/1 (Mohammad Rizwan (wk) 20, Usman Khan 5)

Siraj continues after the conclusion of the powerplay while skipper Rohit decides to bring Ravindra Jadeja into the attack from the other end. Rizwan and new batter Usman, meanwhile, are happy to rotate the strike through singles. Rizwan even has a chat with Usman, asking him to hold his nerve at the moment.

After 12 overs, Pakistan 72/2 (Mohammad Rizwan (wk) 29, Fakhar Zaman 13)

SIX! Fakhar Zaman charges down the track and smashes the ball straight over the bowler’s head for a maximum! That transfers the pressure back on the Men in Blue right after Axar’s dismissal of Usman. Fakhar collects a four off Arshdeep, who returns to the attack in the following over, with a whip towards the fine leg fence. Pakistan need 48 to win at run-a-ball!

OUT! Axar Patel strikes in his first delivery of the day as Usman Khan departs on 13 after getting trapped LBW right after the drinks interval! PAK 57/2

Usman LBW Patel 13(15)

After 6 overs, Pakistan 35/1 (Mohammad Rizwan (wk) 17, Usman Khan 1)

Hardik Pandya introduced in the final over of the powerplay. SIX! Rizwan collects the first maximum of the chase after charging down the track and getting enough power on the shot to clear the wide long off fence! Nine off Pandya’s first over as Pakistan reach 35/1 at the end of the powerplay, needing another 85 to win off 84 balls.

After 5 overs, Pakistan 26/1 (Mohammad Rizwan (wk) 10, Usman Khan 0)

OUT! Bumrah with the breakthrough as he gets rid of Pakistan skipper Babar, who nicks the ball towards Suryakumar Yadav at slip after getting surprised by the extra bounce generated by the pacer. Good catch by SKY at slip.

Babar c Surya b Bumrah 13(10)

After 4 overs, Pakistan 21/0 (Mohammad Rizwan (wk) 9, Babar Azam (c) 9)

DROPPED! Second catch put down in a space of a few deliveries, though this one’s a lot tougher compared to what Shivam Dube had been served in the previous over. Babar struck this over the bowler’s head, with the ball bursting through Siraj’s palms and eventually landing safely. Siraj, however, keeps things tidy by conceding just a single in his second over.

After 3 overs, Pakistan 19/0 (Mohammad Rizwan (wk) 8, Babar Azam (c) 9)

DROPPED! Jasprit Bumrah creates a chance in his very first over, only for Shivam Dube to put down a sitter at short fine as Mohammad Rizwan survives a dismissal scare on 7. The keeper-batter attempted to flick a short-of-length ball from the Indian pace spearhead, but did so straight to the fielder. Tidy start to Bumrah’s spell as he concedes four runs.

After 2 overs, Pakistan 15/0 (Mohammad Rizwan (wk) 5, Babar Azam (c) 8)

Mohammed Siraj steams in from the other end. FOUR! Just a gentle push down the ground by Babar Azam as he collects the first boundary of the innings. Siraj keeps it tidy in the remaining deliveries, conceding just one run. Rizwan, additionally, cops a painful blow on his right arm after Siraj throws the ball towards the striker’s end in order to prevent the keeper-batter from collecting a single. Rizwan quickly gets up on his feet, with Siraj offering an apology right away.

After 1 over, Pakistan 9/0 (Mohammad Rizwan (wk) 4, Babar Azam (c) 3)

Positive start for the Pakistanis as Rizwan and Babar collect nine runs in the first over, bowled by Arshdeep. Both batters open their account with threes after driving the ball through the cover region.

Skipper Babar Azam and keeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan walk out to begin Pakistan’s chase of the 120-run partnership. They had stitched an unbroken 152-run stand in Dubai to guide Pakistan to a 10-wicket victory in the 2021 edition, and will be eyeing something similar today.

Arshdeep Singh to bowl the first over.

“I think we did well as a bowling unit, but this is a decent total on this track. We need to bat well and sensibly. It’s a bit tricky. We need to start well and finish well,” Mohammad Amir tells the broadcasters during the mid-innings break.

Maybe India aren’t quite out of this game yet. A couple of early wickets should make things real interesting for Rohit and Co!

After 19 overs, India 119 (Mohammed Siraj 7)

OUT! PAKISTAN BOWL INDIA OUT FOR 119 AFTER OPTING TO FIELD! Arshdeep is the last Indian wicket to fall, getting run-out at the striker’s end after getting involved in a mix-up with Siraj.

India fail to bat out their quota of 20 overs, falling an over short. Whether they can defend what appears to be a sub-par total or not remains to be seen, and is entirely in the hands of the Jasprit Bumrah-led attack.

Arshdeep run out (Babar/Rizwan) 9(13)

After 18 overs, India 113/9 (Arshdeep Singh 9, Mohammed Siraj 1)

OUT! And now Haris Rauf’s on a hat-trick as new batter Jasprit Bumrah steers a full, wide delivery straight to Imad Wasim at short cover to depart for a golden duck! India one wicket from getting bowled out now!

Bumrah c Wasim b Rauf 0(1)

OUT! Massive blow to India’s hopes of posting a total in the range of 130-140 as Hardik Pandya perishes while attempting to flick a length ball from Haris Rauf towards deep square leg. As has been the case with several other batters today, Pandya hardly gets any distance on the shot, and Iftikhar settles nicely under the ball to complete a safe catch in front of the boundary. IND 112/8

Pandya c Iftikhar b Rauf 7(12)

After 16 overs, India 100/7 (Hardik Pandya (wk) 1, Arshdeep Singh 3)

Just three singles conceded by Naseem Shah in his final over of the evening as he signs off with brilliant figures of 3/21. India, meanwhile, breach the 100-mark, and will be hoping to make the most of the last four overs of their innings.

After 15 overs, India 97/7 (Hardik Pandya (wk) 0, Arshdeep Singh 1)

OUT! Back-to-back wickets for Mohammad Amir, who’s on a hat-trick at the start of his third over! Soft dismissal for Ravindra Jadeja as he chips the ball straight to Imad Wasim at short cover to depart for a golden duck! The Men in Blue have now lost four wickets for just seven runs in a space of three overs!

Jadeja c Wasim b Amir 0(1)

OUT! Massive blow to India’s hopes of going past 150 — which would be real handy for the Men in Blue on this surface — as Pant holes out to Pakistan skipper Babar near the straight boundary while attempting to smash the ball over the fence. Hit that off the toe-end and hardly got the distance that he would have hoped for. IND 96/5 in 14.1 overs First wicket for Mohammad Amir.

Pant c Babar b Amir 42(31)

OUT! Shivam Dube’s the latest to depart in his maiden World Cup innings, chipping the ball tamely back to the bowler after Naseem Shah foxes the southpaw with a slower delivery! Third wicket for the pacer! IND 95/5

Dube c and b Shah 3(9)

After 12 overs, India 89/4 (Rishabh Pant (wk) 40, Shivam Dube 1)

OUT! Rauf makes up for the expensive start to his spell by getting rid of Suryakumar Yadav in his following over! SKY was looking to drive this down the ground over mid off, but barely cleared the circle after the bat twisted in his hand, resulting in a sitter for Mohammad Amir inside the circle.

Surya c Amir b Rauf 7(8)

After 10 overs, India 81/3 (Rishabh Pant (wk) 34, Suryakumar Yadav 5)

FOUR! FOUR! FOUR! Pant’s bossing Haris Rauf at the moment after the pacer’s introduced for the first time in the 10th over of the innings, smashing him for a hat-trick of fours! Goes for an inside out lofted drive over extra cover in the second delivery before sending the next two balls towards fine leg — with his unique lap in the third delivery in which he falls over, followed by flick past short fine. 13 off the over. India are going at over eight-an-over at the halfway stage of the innings.

After 8 overs, India 62/3 (Rishabh Pant (wk) 17, Suryakumar Yadav 4)

FOUR! What a start for Suryakumar Yadav as he drives a pitched up delivery from Naseem Shah past the non-striker for a four! Five runs and a wicket from Naseem’s second over.

BOWLED! Axar’s luck finally runs out as he misses a ball from Naseem completely after advancing down the track, looking to launch him down the ground. The ball also stayed a touch low before crashing into the middle stump. IND 58/3

Axar b Shah 20(18)

After 6 overs, India 50/2 (Rishabh Pant (wk) 15, Axar Patel 15)

Good recovery by the Indians as they breach the fifty-mark at the end of the powerplay despite losing Kohli and Rohit early, with Amir conceding 12 in his second over. Pant gets a thick edge at the start of the over that flies above Iftikhar at slip, running away for a streaky boundary. Pant for a second time in as many balls in the very next delivery after getting a thick leading edge, skieing the ball towards point. Usman Khan’s pedalling in the opposite direction, and puts down a tough chance. The keeper-batter gets another streaky boundary in the penultimate delivery, getting another thick edge that sends the ball flying towards third man.

After 5 overs, India 38/2 (Rishabh Pant (wk) 4, Axar Patel 14)

FOUR! SIX! Axar’s promotion to the No 4 spot is suddenly starting to make sense as he collects 10 runs in the first two deliveries of Afridi’s third over. Gets a bottom-edge while attempting to drive the ball square of the wicket at the start of the over, the ball beating the fielder running to his right at the third man fence. The all-rounder then uppercuts a short ball from Afridi in the next delivery, the ball going all the way for a six. Two singles collected in the next three deliveries before Axar dashes back for a second after guiding the ball towards third man. Good over for the Indians with 14 coming off it.