Rohit Sharma-led India has booked its ticket to the Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup 2024 after defeating the USA by seven wickets at New York's Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.
This triumph marks India as the third team, following South Africa and Australia, to secure a place in the next round of the tournament.
Opting to bowl first after winning the toss, India's decision paid dividends as they restricted the USA to a modest total of 110/8. Spearheading the bowling attack was pacer Arshdeep Singh, who delivered a remarkable performance, clinching figures of 4/9, the best-ever by an Indian in the history of the competition.
Singh's relentless pace dismantled the USA's top order, accounting for the dismissals of Shayan Jahangir, Andries Gous, Nitish Kumar, and Harmeet Singh. Nitish Kumar emerged as the lone resistance for the USA, contributing 27 runs off 23 balls, while opener Steven Taylor added 24 runs off 30 deliveries.
Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel also made significant contributions with the ball, securing figures of 2/14 and 1/25, respectively.
In pursuit of the target, India faced early setbacks with pacer Saurabh Netravalkar dismissing both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma within the powerplay overs. However, Rishabh Pant and Suryakumar Yadav steadied the ship before Pant fell to Ali Khan for 18 runs, adding pressure on India.
Nonetheless, a resilient partnership between Yadav and Shivam Dube guided India to a comfortable victory. Yadav remained unbeaten on a composed 50 off 49 balls, while Dube contributed a crucial 31 runs off 35 deliveries. The chase was successfully completed in 18.2 overs, showcasing India's dominance in the encounter.
Lineups:
USA: Steven Taylor, Shayan Jahangir, Andries Gous, Nitish Kumar, Aaron Jones (c), Corey Anderson, Harmeet Singh, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Jasdeep Singh, Saurabh Netravalkar, Ali Khan.
India XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh.
