India’s T20 World Cup 2024 campaign finally commenced as they beat a listless Ireland team on Wednesday (June 5). While it was the only match during the whole day, it had it’s fair share of incidents that caught everyone’s attention. A poor show by Virat Kohli ‘the opener’, a sensational return for Hardik Pandya and is there an injury scare for Indian skipper Rohit Sharma? On that note, let us look back and skim through the eye-catching stories from Wednesday.
Two points in the bag for India against Ireland!
It was all hunky-dory for India as they dominated Ireland in their opening match of the T20 World Cup 2024. The Indian bowlers shone, dismissing Ireland for a meagre 96 runs in 16 overs. Who else but Jasprit Bumrah was named player of the match for his exceptional bowling spell of 2/6. Chasing a low target, India cruised to victory with 8 wickets remaining, with Rohit Sharma making a record-breaking fifty.
Is Rohit Sharma out of IND vs PAK T20 WC showdown?
During the India-Ireland match, Indian captain Rohit Sharma had to leave the game early due to pain in his elbow. Even though he got hit and played through the discomfort for a while, he couldn’t continue and retired hurt after a Joshua Little bouncing delivery caught his elbow. This happens just a few days before the crucial India-Pakistan showdown, raising concerns about his availability. Despite the scare, Rohit downplayed the seriousness of the injury, indicating he might be alright for the next game.
Virat Kohli flops!
It caught all the attention in the world when Virat Kohli was slotted to open the innings with Rohit Sharma. With just 97 runs required, everyone expected him to lead India to victory. However, after missing the warm-up match, Kohli struggled to adjust to the tricky Nassau pitch. His innings lasted only five balls. After making just one run, he tried to hurry things but was caught at deep third man. This doesn’t bow well for India before the Pakistan clash.
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Hardik Pandya proves why he is India’s best all-rounder
Hardik Pandya lived up to his potential title as India’s best all-rounder in the T20 World Cup match against Ireland. While he was quite impressive with the bat against Bangladesh, with the ball, he was superb as well against Ireland. He took wickets at crucial junctures. He came into the attack after the powerplay and immediately picked up a wicket. His accuracy and pace proved too much for the Irish batters on a track that helped the pace bowlers. Pandya 3/27 in his four.
Nassau pitch turns bowlers into demons!
The newly built Nassau County Cricket Stadium’s drop-in pitch proved to be a bowler’s paradise, particularly favoring fast bowlers. If Sri Lanka were hurried by Anrich Nortje’s lethal pace, then Irish batters had no answers to the questions posed by the Indian pacers. Hosting international cricket for the first time, the Nassau pitch have been nightmare for batters thus far. Even Indian batters didn’t feel comfortable chasing a paltry target of 97 against Ireland.
Pakistan all-rounder out of PAK vs USA clash
Pakistan’s T20 World Cup opener faces a hurdle as star all-rounder Imad Wasim is out due to a side strain. Captain Babar Azam confirmed the news, but there’s a silver lining. While Wasim misses the June 6 clash against the USA, doctors are hopeful he can recover in time for later matches in the tournament. Babar expressed his optimism, stating they expect Wasim to be available “for the rest of the matches.” This is a blow for Pakistan, but they remain confident with Wasim potentially rejoining the squad soon.
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