The T20 World Cup 2024 witnessed one of its most anticipated clashes as India faced off against Pakistan in Match 19 at Nassau County Stadium in New York on June 9. This match, part of one of the most storied rivalries in cricket, promised high-octane action and lived up to its billing.

Toss and Initial Drama

The toss provided an early moment of amusement as Indian captain Rohit Sharma continued his tradition of forgetting things at key moments. This time, he forgot the coin was in his pocket, causing a brief moment of frisking before everyone realized what had happened. Pakistan’s skipper, Babar Azam, won the toss and opted to field first, a decision influenced by the overcast conditions.

See Also: Did you know: Virat Kohli and Babar Azam share the same name meaning?

Team Changes and Strategy

Pakistan made a significant change to their lineup, resting wicket-keeper batsman Azam Khan and bringing in spinning all-rounder Imad Wasim. Azam Khan had struggled with form, notably scoring a duck against the USA and underperforming in the series against England. Imad Wasim’s inclusion was aimed at strengthening their bowling attack.

India, on the other hand, decided to stick with their tried and tested lineup, confident in the abilities of their players to deliver under pressure.

During the middle overs, India’s strategy focused on consolidating their position while maintaining a steady run rate. Key performances from Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav helped stabilize the innings. Pakistan’s bowlers, especially Imad Wasim, applied significant pressure, leading to a few crucial breakthroughs.

Both teams have important matches coming up. India will look to build on this momentum, while Pakistan will aim to bounce back stronger. Key areas for improvement include middle-order stability for India and finishing ability for Pakistan.

T20 World Cup 2024, India vs Pakistan: Who said what at the toss?

Rohit Sharma: Would’ve bowled first too. We need to assess how conditions play and come up with an idea of what a good score is. Those games have helped us assess conditions here. We’ve spoken about what we need to do as a batting unit to get a good score and then we’ve got the bowling unit to defend. Every game is important in a World Cup, you can’t just show up. Anything can happen. We’re sticking to the same XI.

Babar Azam: We will bowl first because of the weather and moisture in the pitch. The conditions suit us, we have four fast bowlers. We will try to use it to our best. Past is past, we are looking forward to today’s match, we are ready and will give our 100%. Always a big game, our confidence is always high for India vs Pak. Azam Khan is resting.

Playing XIs:

India: Rohit Sharma(c), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh

Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan(w), Babar Azam(c), Usman Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Amir