* India move to Super 8 stage (Match 25)
By Dwayne Ferreira
Much like Australia, India have also now secured their spot in the next round of the T20 World Cup after they beat USA by 7 wickets in New York on Wednesday.
Fast bowling sensation Arshdeep Singh delivered his best figures yet in a T20 match, preventing USA from putting on a big total.
Surya Kumar Yadav and Shivam Dube then paired up to give India a well deserved win following early dismissals of both Indian superstars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
Both teams went into the match bursting with confidence, still undefeated in the competition and with Super 8 qualification at stake.
India’s skipper Rohit Sharma made the right call in bowling first, taking into consideration the unpredictability of the pitches in New York and how it tends to favor a team batting second.
Arshdeep Singh, Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel all bowled exceptionally well on the night, but it was Arshdeep Singh who took home all the glory. Singh’s brilliant spell of 4 wickets for 9 runs hindered the US total from soaring above 110, and boasted his best figures ever in a T20 game.
A relatively easy score on paper for the Indians to chase, but much like previous fixtures at Nassau, this wicket turned out to be no different.
India succumbed to the loss of both opening batsmen early in the match, but soon recovered thanks to patience of their middle order.
Rishabh Pant was able to rally India back into the game after the dismissals of Kohli and Sharma, contributing a needed 18 runs for his team.
Pant’s efforts were shortly followed by a sleek 72 run third wicket partnership, courtesy of Shivam Dube and Surya Kumar Yadav.
USA tried their best to slow down the runs and take the game deep, but their inexperience in the format and a subsequnet 5 penalty runs cost them in the closing stages.
Suryakumar ended the night unbeaten on 50 while Dube registered an average 31 not out in 35 deliveries.
With India through to the next round, Pakistan and USA will have to battle it out for the final Super 8 spot in Group A.
USA will need to beat Ireland to secure their spot but if they fail to do so, Pakistan will have a better chance of going through if they win their encounter with Ireland two days later.
Chief Scores :-
United States – 110 for 8 in 20 overs (Nitish Kumar 27, Steven Taylor 24, Corey Anderson 15, Arshdeep Singh 4 for 9, Hardik Pandya 2 for 14)
India – 111 for 3 in 18.2 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 50*, Shivam Dube 31*, Rishabh Pant 18, Saurabh Netravalkar 2 for 18, Ali Khan 1 for 21)
Player of the Match – Arshdeep Singh (4 for 9)
