Match Report – USA vs IND 25th Match, Group A, June 12, 2024
USA had several things going against them.
The conditions: Before today, they’d never played at Nassau County Stadium; this was India’s fourth game at the venue.
Personnel: Monank Patel, the designated captain, was out injured.
The toss: Rohit Sharma called correctly and asked USA to bat in seaming conditions.
Experience: A motley crew with day jobs against cricketing royalty.
It had all the makings of a one-sided fare. Except, it was anything but.
When Rishabh Pant was castled by Ali Khan, thirty-thousand screaming fans, many of them Indian-Americans, gave more wings to those dreams.
This was now USA’s game to lose.
Netravalkar’s Gibbs moment?
Fifty-three needed off 45.
USA were bowling cutters into the pitch. Suryakumar was struggling to hit the ball off the square, and was trying to manufacture strokes. Most times, it comes off. Here, it wasn’t.
The superhero who could not put a foot wrong until then was human, after all.
Netravalkar’s dream beginning
Virat Kohli first. Rohit Sharma next.
The ball that felled Kohli in the first over was a dream delivery. The batter nicking off with a perfect away-going delivery that had him jabbing. It was only Kohli’s second golden duck in T20Is.
The ball that got Rohit was somewhat similar. Except it was a lot closer to the stumps and had Rohit turning the face of the bat to take the leading edge. At mid-off, Harmeet Singh, Rohit’s school junior by a few years, ran back and held on.
India were shell-shocked at 15 for 2, which soon became 44 for 3 when Rishabh Pant was out to one that skidded low and through his defence.
Full report to follow…
Shashank Kishore is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo
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