India defeated the United States by seven wickets in the third group stage match of the T20 Cricket World Cup 2024 on Wednesday afternoon from the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium at Eisenhower Park on Long Island. Coming off a major upset win over Pakistan, the hosts kept the match close throughout, but the tournament favorites ultimately prevailed in the end.
It was a sold-out scene at the temporary 34,000-seat stadium with United States supporters vastly outnumbered by the fan base of one of the most traditional world powers in cricket. However, US support was strong when the tides appeared to swing in the Americans’ way after Indian star Virat Kohli was called out on his second ball.
That seemed to be as close to a winning feeling as the US would get, as India never looked too threatened despite the underdog Americans staying close. India put the game on ice in the 19th over, winning 111/3 with 10 balls remaining. The bottom line for the United States was an inability to score enough to keep up, despite defending valiantly.
The Americans now sit two points back of group leaders India heading into their last group-stage game, which will be played against winless Ireland on Friday at 10 a.m. ET. With India’s place in the final eight now secured, a win over Ireland will also punch the United States’ ticket to the next round, meaning the story is not yet fully written for this group of underdogs.
