IND vs PAK: Pakistan decimates Indian batting lineup; India gets all out at 119

IND vs PAK: The highly anticipated clash between the age-old rivals is a match that has fans' eye on it but the first half seems to be a sad plight for Team India fans as India gets all out on 119 in the 19th over. India and Pakistan, bitter rivals, are playing a major match at Nassau County Cricket Stadium in New York.

All eyes are on Pakistan

The excitement around this highly anticipated game has drawn supporters from both sides of the border. With one exception, India prevailed in every match against Pakistan at the T20 World Cup. In the T20 World Cup 2021, the Pakistani team triumphed over the Indian squad for the first time in the competition's history. The latter, though, recovered to win the T20 World Cup in 2022.

With six balls left in the first inning, India had reached 119 all out with 42 runs from Rishabh Pant and contributions from Axar Patel. This puts Pakistan at 120 to win the match. The bowlers from Pakistan were spot on, forcing the Indian batsmen to regularly toss in their wickets. Pakistan must chase 120 on a wicket that is susceptible to manipulation.

Toss tale

When the toss was finally thrown after rain trouble, Pakistani captain Babar Azam chose to bowl first as India and Pakistan squared up in the tournament's main match.  An Indo-Pak competition usually builds around possible matchups and the idea that the side not intimidated by the occasion will win handily. But this time, the field at the Nassau County Cricket Stadium—the site of the main match—has received just as much attention, if not more. During the match, India captain Rohit Sharma made a joke about how not even the curator of the pitch knew how the surface would perform on a given day.

Is India's game in trouble?

Players' safety has become a worry because of the uneven bounce and friendly nature of the ground for quick bowling. After taking a knock to his arm in India's opening match of the competition, Rohit was forced to retire injured. Because of the inconsistent bounce available, Rishabh Pant was also struck several times. In an effort to create a surface that will allow bat and ball play to be well balanced, the ICC has been striving to "fix" the pitch.

More to follow...