New York: Pakistan's seventh loss to India in the ICC T20 World Cup history was a source of joy for Indian fans and heartbreaking for the fans of Men in Green, particularly a fan who had sold his tractor to catch his favorite stars in action. Jasprit Bumrah's miserly three-wicket haul which applied pressure on Pakistan batters and a counter-attacking, match-saving knock by Rishabh Pant powered India to a narrow win at a packed Nassau County Stadium, which keeps India's World Cup dreams alive with two more group stage games to go.
Following the match, the scenes outside the Nassau County Stadium were worth witnessing and marvelling over as there was a 'sea of Blue' performing energetic dance steps on dhols and chanting 'India India.'
Among these was a heartbroken Pakistan fan who had sold his tractor to get a ticket worth 3,000 USD but could not get to witness his team winning the game. Speaking to ANI, the fan said, "I have sold my tractor to get a ticket worth 3000 USD. When we saw the score of India, we did not think that we were going to lose this game. We thought it was an achievable score. The game was in our hands but after Babar Azam got out, people were disheartened. I congratulate you all (Indian fans)."
Meanwhile, fans in Indore, Madhya Pradesh back in India took to the streets in massive numbers to celebrate Men in Blue's triumph over their arch-rivals. Cheers and sounds of fireworks filled the air in Indore as hundreds of fans thronged the streets. Coming to the match, Pakistan won the toss and put India to bat first.
However, the Indian batters did not get things going for them at this tough surface as star openers Virat Kohli (4) and Rohit Sharma (13) failed to score big. Rishabh Pant (42 in 31 balls, with six fours) seemed to be playing on a different pitch and had useful partnerships with Axar Patel (20 in 18 balls, with two fours and a six) and Suryakumar Yadav (seven in eight balls, with a four).
However, the lower middle order crumbled under the pressure of scoring runs on such a tough pitch and India could make just 119 in 19 overs. Haris Rauf (3/21) and Naseem Shah (3/21) were the top bowlers for Pakistan.
Mohammed Amir got two scalps while Shaheen Shah Afridi got one. In the run-chase, Pakistan took a more measured approach and Mohammed Rizwan (31 in 44 balls, with a four and six) held one end steady.
However, Bumrah (3/14) and Hardik Pandya (2/24) got crucial wickets of skipper Babar Azam (13), Fakhar Zaman (13), Shadab Khan (4), Iftikhar Ahmed (5) as well, which kept the pressure intact on Pakistan.
With 18 runs needed in the final over, Naseem Shah (10*) tried to win it for Pakistan, however, Arshdeep Singh (1/31) made sure Pakistan fell short by six runs. Bumrah secured the 'Player of the Match' for his match-winning spell.
