USA vs Ind - Arshdeep, Suryakumar put India into Super EightsSurya

USA vs Ind - Arshdeep, Suryakumar put India into Super EightsSurya,

 Dube dig in to allay nerves

It was almost as if the reprieve of Suryakumar deflated USA.

Suddenly, Aaron Jones was switching fields every ball, running up to have a bowler between deliveries, all of it playing into the hands of the batters.

Twice, USA were warned of delaying the game by not beginning their next over within their 60-second allowance. When they erred for a third time, the umpires awarded five penalty runs to India.

From 35 off 30, India now needed a run-a-ball 30.

It didn’t matter then that Dube had been struggling on 5 off 14, or that Suryakumar was far from his 360-degree mode.

 

In the 17th over, India truly broke the stranglehold and took a giant leap towards victory when Suryakumar picked van Schalkwyk’s medium pace for a lofted six over extra cover and a trademark flick off back-to-back deliveries to kill the chase.

 

Off the first ball of the 19th, he got to a run-a-ball half-century. The winning runs were hit one legitimate delivery later when Dube dug out a yorker-length delivery to long-off to complete a brace and seal India’s victory.dia into Super Eights

 

His inability to hit the ball off the square, partly because USA are bowling into the pitch and taking pace off, has Surya trying something out of the box.

 

An over prior, he'd tried to sweep Corey Anderson off his lengths and nearly got bowled.

 

Now, in a bid to break the shackles, he tries to open the bat face and play the lofted drive. But ends up slicing it to short third.

 

That man, Saurabh Netravalkar, who can do no wrong, circles underneath after doing exceeding well in getting to the ball. But trembles for a fraction as the ball descends, and the ball slips through his hands.

 

Is that going to be a turning point? Massive moment for sure.

Dube struggles, Surya fights

 

From 5 off 14, Dube gets a streaky edge for four.

 

Suryakumar, who began with his trademark flick for six over long leg, is treading caution.

 

Jones happy to operate with seamers Corey Anderson and Jasdeep Singh. Perhaps he's mindful of the match-up and the left-handed presence of Dube, because of which Harmeet Singh, the left-arm spinner, is being held back.

India need 58 off 54.

 

Ali Khan cleans up Rishabh Pant

 

The ball shoots low and skids through Pants defence. He was looking in good nick, the timing, defence - all in sync until then. He got away with pull shot that cleared deep square leg for six in the sixth over, off Jasdeep Singh, as the boundary rider was a few yards in. But can't get away this time.

 

Could he have played forward? Did he misjudge the length? Questions he can ponder over in the dressing room.Kohli in his first over. Rohit in his next.

 

On both occasions, he had the ball slanting away from the right-handers. Rohit turned the bat face a tad early to get a leading edge to mid-off where Harmeet Singh, Rohit's junior at school, takes an excellent catch running back.

 

Out comes Suryakumar, Netravalkar's close friend from Mumbai. The two have known each other from their Under-15 days and played club cricket together before being teammates at Mumbai.

irat Kohli out nicking behind off Saurabh Netravalkar as USA are off to a dream start. Perhaps played for a hint of inward movement and went driving, but the ball slants across to kiss the outside edge. Dream stuff for the 32-year old, who had spoken about the desire to chat with Kohli, among others, after the match.

USA finish with 110

Will it push India?

 

106 wasn't quite enough for Canada yesterday on this same surface. USA have a more pedigreed bowling attack; India's batting is top-heavy. If they can prise out two, this could yet be an interesting contest.

USA were well poised going into the death overs to have a crack at 125, but overs 16-18 have scuppered those plans.

 

Hardik bowled a wicket-maiden off the 17th, dismissing Anderson for his second wicket, and Arshdeep had Harmeet Singh, who top-edged Bumrah for a six to get off the mark, caught behind.

Nitish, who hit the last-ball four to force their game against Pakistan into a Super Over, has a clean swing. And when he goes down town, that swing is uninhibited.

 

It didn't take him long to find his hitting range. Hardik kept bowling length and short of a length, but gets punished at the first instance of bowling. Two balls later, he drilled another straight hit off a full delivery.

 

In the following over, Corey Anderson slog-swept Axar to the deep midwicket fence. After a crawl of a first-half, USA finally have some momentum to eye 120.

 

It needed a blinder from Siraj at deep square leg to send Nitish back for a 23-ball 27.