T20 World Cup: India march into Super Eight stage with win over USA

Arshdeep Singh’s career-best T20I bowling performance and Suryakumar Yadav’s half-century helped India defeat USA by seven wickets and qualify for the Super Eight stage of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 on Wednesday (June 12).

After restricting co-hosts USA to 110/8 at the Nassau County International Cricket Ground, India reached the target (111/3) in 18.2 overs. This was India’s third successive win in Group A and will complete the league phase with a game against Canada on Saturday, June 15.

Suryakumar (50 not out off 49) and Shivam Dube (31 off 35) had an unbroken match-winning partnership of 67 runs in 65 balls to rescue the team from a spot of bother at 44/3 in 7.3 overs.

USA fought hard thanks to left-arm paceman Saurabh Netravalkar’s incisive bowling (2/18 in 4 overs). He removed Virat Kohli for a golden duck and added the scalp of India captain Rohit Sharma (3).

India are the third team after South Africa and Australia to advance to the second round of the tournament.

Outstanding Arshdeep

Earlier, Arshdeep hardly took his foot off the pedal enjoying career-best figures of 4/9 as India restricted USA to 110 for 8.

After a couple of gallant batting performances in their back-to-back victories, the USA batters found Indian pace attack a few notches above in terms of class and quality.

There was hardly a phase of play when the hosts would have felt the noose being loosened around their necks.

However, after scoring 42 in the first 10, USA with useful contributions from Nitish Kumar (27), Steven Taylor (24) and former New Zealand international Corey Anderson (15) added another 68 in the back-10.

2 wickets for Hardik

Once Arshdeep got a couple of breakthroughs in the opening over including a first-ball wicket of Shayan Jahangir, there was no looking back for the Indians.

They never had a slip up in terms of intensity, mixing up fuller deliveries with ones that were pitched on back of length.

The left-arm pacer was fantastic both at the start and at the death bowling an incredible 17 dot balls.

Arshdeep had a dream first delivery of the game as he got one that was pitched on a length and darted back enough to catch Jahangir (0) plumb in-front.

The last delivery of the same over accounted for Andries Gous (2), who was late on a pull-shot off a delivery that was dug in short.

The Powerplay yielded only 18 runs and skipper on the day Aaron Jones (11) could hit one six off Mohammed Siraj as he was forced to block most deliveries before Hardik Pandya (2/14 in 4 overs) ended his misery with a short delivery which he top-edged to Siraj at deep fine leg.

Dube gets to bowl

The quality of the opposition also gave Rohit a chance to check out Dube (0/11 in 1 overs), the weakest link in both batting and bowling department.

Opener Taylor, who survived the Powerplay, hit a big six off Axar Patel only to drag the next one back to the stumps.

However, Nitish (27 off 23 balls) proved to be a thorn in India's flesh with some lusty hits including a picturesque straight drive after a maximum off Pandya while his able ally Anderson slog swept Axar for a maximum in the cow corner region.

But a superb catch by Siraj at the mid-wicket boundary brought Nitish's downfall as half of the side was back in pavilion for 81.

Once Nitish was gone, USA's dreams of scoring 120 were also dashed.

(With inputs from agencies)