2024 T20 World Cup: 3 players who starred and 2 who flopped in today's India vs Pakistan match ft. Virat Kohli & Suryakumar Yadav
Team India edged out Pakistan in yet another gripping T20 World Cup encounter as they triumphed by six runs at the Nassau County International Stadium in New York on Sunday, June 9.
After their victory over Ireland in their tournament opener, the Men in Blue entered this contest as the clear favorites. But a disappointing batting performance meant that Pakistan gave them a run for their money. India held their nerve, though, to preserve their unbeaten record in this year's World Cup.
Here are three players who starred and two who flopped in the India vs Pakistan 2024 T20 World Cup match.
#5 Star - Axar Patel
Axar Patel's place in the Indian team was perhaps under threat ahead of the Pakistan game, with Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson and Kuldeep Yadav being contenders to replace him. The Men in Blue persisted with the all-rounder, and he came up with a couple of match-defining contributions at crucial junctures.
Axar first earned a promotion to No. 4 and struck a few boundaries to ensure that the powerplay wasn't wasted. He finished as India's second-highest scorer and was one of only three batters from the side to enter double figures.
Axar also sent down two important overs. The second one to Imad Wasim, with the overs winding down in the second innings, was a particular standout. The left-arm spinner was perfect with his lines and lengths, giving the fast bowlers a chance to shine in the last four overs.
#4 Flop - Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli hasn't had a great start to the T20 World Cup, which is rather unlike him. Usually a prolific run-scorer in this competition, the former Indian skipper has notched up consecutive failures.
Against Pakistan, Kohli hit a rank-wide delivery from Naseem Shah straight to the fielder at point. He walked back for just four runs, failing to capitalize against an opposition he loves playing against.
#3 Star - Rishabh Pant
It wasn't Rishabh Pant's most convincing knock, but aesthetics have gone out of the window completely in recent times. The southpaw came in at No. 3 and hoicked his way to a team-high 42, an innings that was crucial given the circumstances.
Pant was also tidy behind the stumps as he took three catches and made a few diving saves. He has made a good start to the T20 World Cup.
#2 Flop - Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar Yadav is one of the world's best T20 batters, but like Kohli, he too hasn't hit the ground running at the World Cup. Often criticized for his performances against Pakistan, the dynamic batter couldn't silence his doubters with a solid display on Sunday.
Suryakumar was demoted to No. 5 as India looked to shield him from early movement. He played out seven deliveries before trying to loft Haris Rauf over the infield, only managing to find mid-off.
India lost their way after the dismissal of Suryakumar, who should've adopted a slightly more cautious approach in difficult conditions.
#1 Star - Jasprit Bumrah
Words can't describe just how good Jasprit Bumrah is. The ace spearhead had Mohammad Rizwan dropped at fine leg in his very first over but still managed to come up with a Player of the Match display.
Bumrah had Babar Azam squared up and caught at slip, with his two powerplay overs yielding barely anything. He took his game to an even higher level in the middle overs as he returned to castle Rizwan and conceded just three runs to pile the pressure on Pakistan.
By the time the 19th over rolled around, there was only one favorite. Bumrah closed out the show without a glitch to rack up another accolade at the post-match presentation.