With this incredible achievement, Saurabh Netravalkar became just the fifth bowler in T20 World Cup history to remove both of the top hitters in a single game.
It was obvious that the USA would compete aggressively with their bowling when India started their pursuit. The second ball of the innings saw the dismissal of Indian legend Virat Kohli for a golden duck, and soon after, Rohit Sharma became Saurabh Netravalkar’s second victim.
Prior to the event, the match appeared to be a dead rubber, but it quickly became an exciting contest as both sides competed intensely for the title.
When India won the toss and decided to field, it was a wise move since Arshdeep Singh had an instant impact. Shayan Jahangir, a native of Karachi, was caught completely off guard by the first delivery, but he struck twice in the over, including a golden duck for him. The co-hosts chose a cautious strategy throughout the powerplay after this early defeat, finishing the first six overs with a score of 18 on the board.
Also read: T20 World Cup 2024: USA vs IND, Match 25 Highlights
Captain of the USA, Aaron Jones, got out for 11 off 22 deliveries, taking just one wicket. Steven Taylor, batting left-handed, inside-edged an Axar Patel delivery and was bowled for 24, joining the ranks of batters who have only hit sixes and no fours. The USA finished with a total of 110/8 thanks to three hitters who scored 15, 10, and 11 runs apiece after Nitish Kumar top-scored with 27 off 23 deliveries.
All Indian bowlers had an economy rate of less than 8.50, with the exception of Shivam Dube’s single over, in which he gave up 11 runs. With 25 runs conceded in his three overs, Axar was the exception. With impressive final figures of 4/9 in his four overs, Arshdeep emerged as the standout performer. In their allocated four overs, Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah both finished without a wicket, scoring 0/25.
The mission seemed difficult, especially with India still suffering from the early defeats. However, Shivam Dube’s solid 31*(35) and Suryakumar Yadav’s calm and resilient undefeated half-century, his 17th in T20Is, proved to be enough to earn India’s third successive victory in the campaign.
The bowlers from the USA, ranging from Netravalkar to Corey Anderson, all had impressive outings, with an economy rate of less than 6.50. Though they gave it their all, the USA was unable to complete the upset.
India’s downfall came from a critical misplayed catch by Netravalkar off Suryakumar Yadav in the 13th over, which proved to be fatal. They also had to face five penalty runs before the 16th over began because they had gone past the one-minute mark between overs for the third time. Not to mention, the decision to bench Harmeet Singh in light of Dube’s extended stay at the wicket was a notable one that will probably be discussed for a while.
Below are some memes from the USA-India game:
Suryakumar Yadav carefully pacing his innings, taking singles and doubles, sprinkling with boundaries to win the match for India pic.twitter.com/M0fcPHzosA
— Pakchikpak Raja Babu (@HaramiParindey) June 12, 2024
Saurabh Netravalkar entering Oracle after T20 World Cup.
pic.twitter.com/9IAJv00LEF— Abhishek (@MSDianAbhiii) June 12, 2024
#INDvsUSA pic.twitter.com/cA5XD6sMVQ
— VAZY (@vazy_7011) June 12, 2024
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to pitch curator after getting out #INDvsUSA pic.twitter.com/aoqJ6z4nb4
— Sunil the Cricketer (@1sInto2s) June 12, 2024
Shivam Dube 💯💯#INDvsUSA pic.twitter.com/JouLBfQLGI
— रचित M 💛 (@rachit1m) June 12, 2024
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Surya Kumar yadav against small teams pic.twitter.com/P4l8pWkWZ2
— Raghav Masoom (@comedibanda) June 12, 2024
👀 https://t.co/iTdXKBvLgl pic.twitter.com/uHOsgpAcv4
— cricket is over (@anubhav__tweets) June 12, 2024
Into the super 8’s 🥳💙
Well played SKY 🔥 pic.twitter.com/bBGhQ1VX7z— Mumbai Indians TN FC™ (@MIFansClubTN) June 12, 2024
Surya Kumar Yadav 🗿 #INDvsUSA pic.twitter.com/c4ytLkxPRf
— 𝕯𝖆𝖗𝖊𝖓 (@darenface) June 12, 2024