T20 WC: USA plans another upset in clash against India

All-rounder Harmeet Singh pressure will be on India if they manage to stay in the game till the final over

New York: USA all-rounder Harmeet Singh feels that pressure will be on India if they manage to stay in the game till the final over of their upcoming Group A clash in the ongoing T20 World Cup.

The USA pulled off the biggest upset in the ongoing edition of the World Cup, after inflicting a five-run over the 2009 World Cup winner, Pakistan.

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This was a major step in their quest for a top-two spot in Group A which features India, Pakistan, Ireland and Canada. But India will be a major hurdle in their conquest. The match will take place at New York‘s Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.

India has played three games at this venue and won all three. While for the USA it will be an unfamiliar turf. Harmeet hinted that another upset could be on the cards if they manage to pick up early wickets and stay in the game till the final over.

“No expectations, the way the wicket is playing in New York it is uneven, I don’t see a very high-scoring game, When the game is not high-scoring we can make a comeback in the game. If we take a couple of wickets early and play well in the middle… as long as we are in the game till the last ball the pressure will always be on the bigger side who is playing against us. I think this will be the plan, staying in the game for 20 overs,” Harmeet said.

The USA will back itself to pull off another upset after defeating India’s arch-rival, Pakistan in Dallas. While talking about the game, Harmeet felt that the contrasting form of both teams was a key factor in their win.

“We have been playing really well for the last few months. Our confidence level is very high. We knew Pakistan had recently lost two series and T20 is a format that works on momentum. When you lose, you keep on losing and you keep losing the key moments of the game,” he noted.

The USA effectively negated Pakistan’s attack in the power play. They were en route to a comfortable win but Pakistan pacers slowed their momentum by dismissing key batters.

They needed a boundary on the final ball to take the game to the Super Over. Harmeet stated that the game should not have gone to the Super Over.

“It wasn’t a game that should have gone to Super Over. We made a couple of errors. We have a different matchwinner in every game. The team has a lot of potential and matchwinners, they can win you matches on their day and players are coming to their support,” Harmeet remarked.

The USA will face India in the Group A clash at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

USA team: Monank Patel (c), Aaron Jones, Andries Gous, Corey Anderson, Ali Khan, Harmeet Singh, Jessy Singh, Milind Kumar, Nisarg Patel, Nitish Kumar, Noshtush Kenjige, Saurabh Nethralvakar, Shadley Van Schalkwyk, Steven Taylor, Shayan Jahangir. Reserve Players: Gajanand Singh, Juanoy Drysdale, Yasir Mohammad.