"This win was not possible without Axar" - Fans hail Axar Patel's all-round performance in IND vs PAK 2024 T20 World Cup clash
Indian fans on social media praised all-rounder Axar Patel's all-round contributions in the IND vs PAK 2024 T20 World Cup clash on Sunday. The Indian team secured a six-run victory at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York.
In the first innings, Patel contributed 20 off 18 and helped stabilize India after they lost openers Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in consecutive overs. With the ball in the second innings, Patel secured the important breakthrough of Usman Khan with his first delivery of the game.
The dismissal took place in the 11th over after Patel was introduced into the attack. Usman was trapped in his crease by Patel's slider. Initially, the umpire signaled it as not-out, resulting in India going for a review.
The replay showed that the ball was crashing into the leg stump, and the decision was overturned. Usman went back to the hut after scoring 13 off 15, with a solitary boundary.
Fans also hailed Axar Patel for keeping it tight in the 16th over, as he gave away only two runs, which put Pakistan under pressure. Here are the fan reactions:
Here are some more reactions:
"In a match dominated by pacers, those 3 back to back dots from Axar Patel were worth their weight in gold!," a fan noted.
"That wicket by Axar Patel was crucial and turned the tides to our favor," one fan tweeted.
"The Key Moment of today’s match was Axar Patel’s 16th over. 4 dot balls and just 2 runs. Simply extraordinary stuff," another posted.
Rishabh Pant emerged as India's top-scorer in IND vs PAK 2024 T20 World Cup game
In the first innings, India were rocked early by a double strike in consecutive overs in the form of Rohit Sharma (13) and Virat Kohli (4). Then, Rishabh Pant and Axar Patel stitched together a 39-run partnership to stabilize the innings.
Wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant rode his luck en route to scoring 42 off 31 balls, with six fours. Shivam Dube, Suryakumar Yadav, and Ravindra Jadeja failed to perform, as India were bundled out for 119 in 19 overs.
Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf scalped three wickets apiece, while Mohammad Amir returned with two scalps.
In response, the Pakistan batting unit crumbled under pressure, as they could only manage to score 113 and lost by six runs. Jasprit Bumrah stole the show with figures of 3/14.