India’s Hardik Pandya continued his exceptional form with the ball in the T20 World Cup 2024, successfully dismissing the USA’s key player, Aaron Jones, for a modest score of 11 runs off 22 balls. This crucial wicket came during Jones’ struggle to find his footing at the crease.
In the 7th over, Pandya delivered a well-directed short ball aimed at the stumps. Jones attempted to pull it but misjudged the bounce, resulting in a top edge that sailed towards the fine leg region. Mohammed Siraj, positioned perfectly, made no mistake in catching it safely, bringing an end to the stand-in captain’s innings. Pandya’s disciplined bowling and effective restriction of runs throughout his spell were instrumental in this breakthrough.
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Aaron Jones had stepped into the captaincy role for this match, replacing Monank Patel due to a niggle. Jones undoubtedly aimed to lead by example with a significant score, but India had other plans and executed them flawlessly.
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At the time of writing, the USA team was struggling at 96/6 with Harmeet Singh and Shadley van Schalkwyk at the crease.
Earlier in the day, India’s captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and chose to bowl first. Both India and the USA entered this match with an undefeated record in Group A, each having secured four points from two victories. A win in this match would ensure a spot in the Super 8 stage for the victorious side. India maintained the same lineup that successfully defended a low total of 119 runs against Pakistan, securing a thrilling six-run win at the same venue on Sunday.
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“We will bowl first. The pitch has played better in the last two games, but you need to assess the conditions quickly and then let the game take over. It’s all about constantly getting better and keeping the momentum going. It’s important to do the right things. That was a great game to play; we didn’t have enough runs on the board, but the bowlers came to the party and won the game for us. We’re playing the same team,” Rohit stated at the toss.
The United States, fresh from a dramatic Super Over victory against Pakistan, made two changes to their lineup in hopes of another upset.
