India won the toss and chose to bowl first against co-hosts USA in match 25 of the T20 World Cup at New York’s Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, reflecting on the decision, noted the surface’s favorable behavior in recent matches.
“The pitch has played better in the last two games. You gotta understand what you need to do, assess conditions quickly. Gotta constantly get better in two games and continue doing the good things that we have. The pitch will challenge in different ways,” Sharma commented.
The USA faced a setback with the absence of their skipper Monank Patel due to a left-shoulder injury. Aaron Jones has stepped in as captain, while Shayan Jahangir replaces Patel in the lineup. Despite this challenge, the USA team is geared up for the crucial match.
India, sticking to their winning combination from the game against Pakistan on June 9, is fielding an unchanged XI. The team includes key players such as Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, and Hardik Pandya, who are expected to maintain their form and consistency.
The USA’s lineup, under the new leadership of Aaron Jones, features Steven Taylor, Andries Gous, Nitish Kumar, Corey Anderson, Harmeet Singh, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Jasdeep Singh, Saurabh Netravalkar, and Ali Khan.
This match holds significant importance as the winner will secure the first spot from Group A in the Super 8 stage of the tournament. Australia from Group B and South Africa from Group D have already confirmed their spots in the next round, adding to the stakes of today’s game.
The game also holds significance for Pakistan, as the US has to lose to India in order to have a slim chance to qualify for super 8.
