India secures Super 8 berth with clinical win over USA in T20 World Cup

The Indian cricket team, on June 12, secured their spot in the Super 8 stage of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 with a comfortable seven-wicket victory over the United States in New York. The clinical performance saw India chase down the modest target of 111 runs with 10 balls to spare.

After winning the toss and opting to bowl first, the Indian bowling attack, spearheaded by Arshdeep Singh's twin strikes in the opening over, kept the American batters in check. Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel contributed with two and one wicket, respectively, as the USA managed to post a modest total of 110/8 in their allotted 20 overs. Nitish Kumar top-scored for the hosts with a gritty 27 off 23 balls.

The Indian batting lineup, however, encountered an early hiccup as Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma fell cheaply to Indian-born American pacer Saurabh Netravalkar. Kohli's struggles in New York continued as he managed a mere five runs, extending his disappointing run in the tournament so far. Sharma, too, departed for a pedestrian score of three, becoming Netravalkar's second victim.

Despite the early setbacks, the middle-order duo of Surya Kumar Yadav and Shivam Dubey steadied the ship with an unbeaten partnership of 81 runs. Yadav played a calculated innings, scoring a measured half-century off 49 balls, jointly the third-slowest fifty in T20 World Cup history. Dubey provided valuable support with a brisk 31 not out.

The convincing victory over the USA marks India's second consecutive win in the tournament, securing their passage to the Super 8 stage with a match to spare. They will now face Canada in their final league encounter in Florida, aiming to maintain their momentum ahead of the knockout phase.