Cricket might be as unfamiliar to most Americans as driving on the left-hand side, but after Monank Patel’s team achieved the unthinkable against Pakistan on the grand stage, fans in the United States anticipated a strong performance against Rohit Sharma’s Team India in the T20 World Cup 2024 on Wednesday. Dubbed an India versus ‘Mini India’ clash, match No.25 of the ICC event ended the unbeaten streak of the latest T20I giant killers at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.
With pace ace Jasprit Bumrah poised to make an impact, Arshdeep Singh stole the spotlight in the powerplay by making history with his first over against the USA at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium. Opening the attack for Rohit Sharma’s Team India, Arshdeep became the first Indian bowler to take a wicket on the first ball of an ICC World T20 match. He dismissed Shayan Jahangir for a golden duck and ended his first over with the wicket of Andries Gous. Missing their skipper Monank Patel, the USA recorded the lowest powerplay score against India.
Achieving the best figures by an Indian in T20 World Cup history, Arshdeep teamed up with Bumrah to help India restrict the USA to 110-8 in 20 overs. Chasing a target of 110, Mumbai-born pacer Saurabh Netravalkar stunned India by taking the prized wickets of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, with Kohli falling for a golden duck in the low-scoring encounter.
To stage India’s comeback in the Group A decider, Suryakumar Yadav joined forces with Rishabh Pant, and the top-ranked batter scored a match-altering half-century. Suryakumar smashed his fifth half-century, helping India complete the highest successful run chase in New York. Suryakumar (50*) and Shivam Dube (31*) sealed India’s seven-wicket win over the USA in 18.2 overs. With this victory, India advanced to the Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup.
