Encouraged by their hard-fought, low-scoring victory over Pakistan, India will build on this success on Wednesday when they take on co-hosts USA.
However, they cannot afford to underestimate the USA, who pulled off one of the biggest upsets in the history of the T20 World Cup when they defeated Pakistan after winning a thrilling match against Canada.
The victor of the India vs. USA game will guarantee their spot in the Super Eight.
The Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York has a challenging pitch that has proven difficult for batters to handle. The biggest score in the seven matches thus far has been Canada’s 137/7 versus Ireland; in total, only four hitters have scored more than 50 runs in 14 innings.
India’s batting is a concern despite their excellent bowling in their first two games.
The move to begin the innings for Virat Kohli has yet to go well so far; in both innings, he has fallen for single-digit scores, and Shivam Dube and Suryakumar Yadav have had trouble making an impression against Pakistan.
With a lot of uneven bounce and plenty of assistance for the speed bowlers, the ground in New York is unpredictable, making it difficult for the Indians to bat in their typical aggressive fashion.
Given the weak USA team’s bowling, some Indian hitters may find it advantageous to wait it out in the middle and get back among the runs.
Among the bowlers, Axar Patel, his colleague who bowls with spin, has eclipsed Ravindra Jadeja regarding impact with the ball. Though wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav is a legitimate option to take wickets in the middle overs, the two left-arm spinners have been selected because of their bat skills.
The Indian lineup is much more balanced now that Hardik Pandya is back to his best bowling form. The fourth seamer has recovered from a subpar IPL season by taking five wickets in two games.
With five wickets for 20 runs in seven overs at an incredible economy rate of 2.85 in the first two games, Jasprit Bumrah has been in scorching form with the ball.
Despite being pricey, Arshdeep Singh, who has made the new ball count, provides him with solid support, while Mohammed Siraj is still getting used to his new rhythm.
In the first two matches, the USA’s batting has been its greatest asset, but the world-class Indian bowling lineup will present the hosts with an entirely new task.
Aaron Jones has been their standout batter for the first two games. Before starring once more as the finisher against Pakistan with a vital 36 not out in a close run chase, he blasted an impressive 94 from 40 balls to lead the USA to victory in a massive run chase.
Except for scoring a crucial half-century against Pakistan, Monank Patel has led the team excellently, and Andries Gous has performed admirably for the hosts in the middle order.
The Indians’ bowling could put them to the test. Left-arm Saurabh Netravalkar, who was born in Mumbai, is eager to prove himself against some of his former Indian teammates, and pacer Ali Khan has participated in T20 leagues all around the world.
Harmeet Singh, a member of India’s Under-19 World Cup-winning squad in 2012, is extremely useful in the middle overs. Former Kiwi all-rounder Corey Anderson has extensive knowledge of the Indian team, having played a few seasons in the Indian Premier League, including two seasons with the Mumbai Indians, captained by Rohit Sharma.
India will stick with the same starting lineup and ensure they perform at their highest level against the USA to guarantee their spot in the next round and play Ireland in their last league match.
Captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and Mohammed Siraj are the likely members of the playing eleven.
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