The Nassau Stadium in New York is set to host the match between the top two teams of Group A, India and USA. Both sides arrive into this match beating Pakistan in their previous group stage game. India defeated their arch-rivals in a low-scoring affair defending a modest total of 119, while the USA got past Pakistan in what was their biggest-ever victory and perhaps the biggest upset in World Cup history.
India are comfortably the favorite to win this match, however, the USA are hungry and inspired to achieve more. Their win against Pakistan was no fluke, they dominated for the most part of the game and only had themselves to blame for taking the match to the super over, which they eventually won. They hugely rely on their batting and more specifically Aaron Jones who has taken this World Cup by storm. Jones played a knock for the ages against Canada in the opening fixture of this tournament and has been in the spotlight ever since.
Rohit Sharma’s side has looked in great touch, especially with the ball. There would be concerns about the batting performance so far. India got bowled out for 119 against Pakistan, a par total on these pitches, but with the batting depth India has, Rohit would definitely ask for more. India suffered a major collapse in the middle order against Pakistan losing wickets in quick succession. This match will most certainly be a good opportunity for the likes of Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya, and Shivam Dube to play some shots and get runs under their belt.
On the other hand, India’s bowling has turned up on the occasion big time and has made use of the friendly conditions perfectly. Jasprit Bumrah has been nearly unplayable which was evident in the match against Pakistan as the right-handed pacer toyed with Pakistan’s lower order and won the match for his country. He was also named the player of the match in that game.
A place in the super-eights round is on offer as the side to win this match would qualify for the next round. Having won their previous matches emphatically, both teams are unlikely to tinker with their playing XIs.
Rishabh Pant’s placement at no 3 in the batting order worked perfectly for India in the match against Pakistan, as he was the one batter who took the attack to the opposition, and even though a lot of runs came from edges, the intent was there to score and score quickly. The three front-line seamers Arshdeep Singh, Bumrah, and Mohammad Siraj are expected to play, while allrounder Hardik Pandya will work as the fourth pace option.
The pitch at the Nassau Stadium has started to settle down and the scary unpredictable bounce has decreased considerably. The surface still however would not be easy to score runs on and the fans should expect another low-scoring encounter. The weather forecast is clear and the game is unlikely to be interrupted by rain.
