Babar Azam Speaks Out: Candidly Attributes India's Defeat to Key Factors

Following his side's six-run loss to India in their T20 World Cup match, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam admitted that losing back-to-back wickets contributed to their defeat.

"Can't Expect Much": Babar Azam Candidly Reflects on India's Defeat

In a post-match presentation after Pakistan's narrow six-run loss to India in the ICC T20 World Cup, skipper Babar Azam acknowledged that losing consecutive wickets and playing too many dot balls in the second half of their innings were key factors in their defeat. Despite a strong bowling performance, Pakistan couldn't maintain their momentum while chasing 120 runs, with Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya's bowling turning the tide in India's favor at New York's Nassau County Stadium on Sunday.

Speaking candidly, Babar stated, "We bowled well, but in batting, we lost back-to-back wickets and had too many dot balls. Our tactics were simple: play normally with strike rotation and the occasional boundary. However, in the second half of our run-chase, we had too many dot balls. We cannot expect much from the tailenders. Our focus was to utilize the first six overs in batting, but losing one wicket early set us back. The pitch was decent with a bit of extra bounce and slow in places. We need to win our last two matches and will sit and discuss our mistakes, but we're looking forward to the upcoming games."

With this thrilling win, India sits at the top of Group A with two victories and four points. Pakistan, having lost both their games to the USA and India, is in fourth place, making their chances of reaching the knockout stage slim.

In the match, Pakistan won the toss and elected to bowl first. The Indian batters struggled on a challenging surface, with star openers Virat Kohli (4) and Rohit Sharma (13) failing to score big. Rishabh Pant's 42 off 31 balls, including six fours, stood out as he formed useful partnerships with Axar Patel (20 off 18 balls) and Suryakumar Yadav (7 off 8 balls). Despite these efforts, India's lower middle order collapsed, and they were bowled out for 119 in 19 overs.

Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah were the standout bowlers for Pakistan, each taking three wickets for 21 runs. Mohammed Amir and Shaheen Shah Afridi also contributed with two and one wicket, respectively.

During the run chase, Pakistan took a measured approach with Mohammed Rizwan scoring 31 off 44 balls. However, Bumrah (3/14) and Pandya (2/24) secured crucial wickets, including those of Babar Azam (13), Fakhar Zaman (13), Shadab Khan (4), and Iftikhar Ahmed (5), maintaining pressure on Pakistan. With 18 runs needed in the final over, Naseem Shah's unbeaten 10 runs couldn't secure the win as Arshdeep Singh (1/31) held his nerve, leaving Pakistan six runs short.

Jasprit Bumrah was named 'Player of the Match' for his match-winning bowling performance.