T20 World Cup 2024: Where did India win the match against Pakistan? Jasprit Bumrah picks two key moments

Jasprit Bumrah said India’s calmness and refusal to panic led them to their exciting six-run victory against Pakistan at the T20 World Cup.

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Despite making a mere 119 on the tricky New York surface, India held off a measured Pakistan response with Bumrah providing the crucial breakthroughs.

Bumrah took 3/14, bowling 15 dot balls off 24 balls delivered, with big wickets at crucial moments, including Pakistan’s top scorer Mohamad Rizwan, who after making a patient 31 from 44 balls, was looking like a match-winner until being clean bowled by Bumrah.

Before that, the India seamer claimed the wicket of Babar Azam at a stage when Pakistan were cruising along after five overs and 26 runs on the board.

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Speaking to the media later, Bumrah reflected on the two dismissals as being key.

“I think the first wicket was very important as well to set the base because then you start adding pressure,” Bumrah began, reflecting on his impact on the result.

“If they get off to a good start on this wicket, because we didn’t have a lot of runs on the board, then the pressure keeps on rising on us.

“And then that third over of mine, that was a crucial stage of that situation, the game would have been over if that would have gone Pakistan’s favour.

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“So that was also a crucial stage. Everybody came in and they were trying to execute what they wanted to, and they were able to do that. I think all of it’s a combination of all those things that really helped us.”

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Bumrah credited the other bowlers also for not giving Pakistan much to work with.

“The biggest positive for us was the calmness because when we were batting in the morning, there was a lot more help,” said Bumrah, noting the damp conditions after pre-match rain which turned to sunshine later in the day.

“And then when we started bowling, the skies opened up and the ball stopped seaming and there wasn’t a lot of lateral movement. So we had to be more consistent and more accurate. And we as a unit were very calm and very clear on what we wanted to do. So very happy that as a unit we were able to contribute and created that pressure and then we were able to get the win,” he said.

Bumrah said he had learnt over time that in situations where the pitch does offer some help, it remains crucial not to go too far with attacking intent.

“In that aspect, experience does help you a little bit because whenever there is help, you can get excited, you can try and go pole hunting, you can bowl bouncers, you can bowl out-swingers, in-swingers but you don’t have to do that,” he said.

“I have learned that over the experience. But this time, the ball was not doing a lot. Yes, we did create pressure. Little bit of lateral movement was there but not too much. Not as pronounced as the last game,” he said.

Bumrah is in a rich spell of form, following a strong IPL season and has taken that into the T20 World Cup. Against Ireland he posted figures of 2/6 before Sunday’s show.

But amid the praise, Bumrah, who suffered injury issues last year, said he was quick to remember how opinions can change.

“A year ago the same people were saying that I might not play again and my career is over. But I don’t look at that. For me, I try to solve the problem that is there in front of me and try to control the controllables,” he said.

“I was trying to focus on what is the best option over here on a wicket like this. How do I make shot making difficult? What are the best options for me? So that way I try to stay in the present and focus on what I have to do. Because if I look at the outside noise, if I look at people and pressure and emotion takes over, then things don’t really work for me,” he said.

It was an approach that Bumrah said the team took as a collective despite the huge pressure that comes with the expectations around the India team, especially against Pakistan.

“Not at any stage did I feel that the panic had spread in the team and we were looking too far ahead. So that’s a really positive sign,” he said.

The win sees India lead the Group A standings, holding the Net Run Rate tiebreaker over fellow unbeaten team USA, who shocked Pakistan in Dallas on 6 June.

Pakistan, meanwhile, are winless after two matches and would potentially need big victories over Canada and Ireland, among other results in the group going their way to progress to the Super 8s stage of the competition.