Rahul Dravid captivated by USA vs Pakistan thriller in New York subway ahead of India's big Sunday match; Viral Pic
PTC News Desk: It has taken a major upset for the T20 World Cup to finally be back in action. The two-time world champions Pakistan were dealt an early upset when they fell in a Group A encounter in Dallas, Texas to the newcomers USA. USA battled valiantly to equalize Pakistan's 159 total and force a Super Over, where the home team exploited Mohammad Amir's inconsistent six deliveries to take 18 runs off him.
The USA then turned to Saurabh Netravalkar, a left-arm fast who maintained composure to lead his team to a historic five-run victory that will live on forever in USA cricket history.
Rahul Dravid following the Super Over of Pakistan vs USA on Espn Cricinfo. [????: Vishal Misra] pic.twitter.com/eanrXe6my6 — Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) June 6, 2024
The victory sparked intense scenes across Dallas and the United States. The famed Times Square saw a flurry of excitement from the attendees, leaving the Pakistani crowd stunned. Amidst the chaos, India's head coach Rahul Dravid was observed in the subway, watching the USA vs. Pakistan match intently on his phone.
He didn't take his eyes off it till the final ball was thrown and the historic triumph was accomplished. Since then, the image of The Wall quietly watching the events has gone viral on social media.
Regardless of the outcome, Dravid would have made notes during the match. The next match is between India and Pakistan on Sunday, and the USA on June 12 three days later. If the Twenty20 format has taught us anything, it's that no team should be taken lightly. Pakistan is a team that has won both the ODI and T20 World Cups; therefore, it should come as a harsh wake-up call that they were thoroughly defeated by a team that is still developing at this level.
How the game developed
From the outset, something appeared strange about Pakistan. With Netravalkar, Nosthush Kenjige, and Ali Khan causing mayhem within the Powerplay, they were cut down to 26/3. Before Shadab Khan's 40 off 25 balls helped Pakistan to 159/7, Babar Azam's 44 off 43 balls was the only significant contribution from the top order.
USA lost their first wicket, Steven Taylor, for twelve in response, but they were able to close the gap thanks to a strong 66-run stand between captain Monak Patel and Andries Gous.
Then, Aaron Jones and Nitish Kumar united and formed an undefeated 49-run partnership to take the match to the Super Over, where the USA ultimately prevailed. In the T20 World Cup's history, there have been five tied games. Pakistan has played in two of them, the first being the renowned bowl-out against India in 2007. It's interesting to note that after two wins from two games, USA is top of Group A's points standings.
"Beating Pakistan while playing for the first time is a significant accomplishment. whole show. We made good advantage of the circumstances. kept them to 160, the attainable limit. USA captain Patel stated, "Happy with my contribution, happier to have won."
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- With inputs from agencies
