Pakistan captain Babar Azam opened up after his side lost to India in the T20 World Cup 2024 on Sunday in New York.
India beat Pakistan by six runs in a low-scoring Group A encounter at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.
Pakistan decided to bowl first, after winning the toss, on a pitch which with variable bounce. Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf claimed three wickets each while Rishabh Pant was India's highest scorer with a quick knock of 42 as they were dismissed for 119.
In reply, Mohammad Rizwan laid the platform for the chase with a patient knock of 31 but Pakistan lost wickets at regular intervals while India's fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah took key wickets to finish with figures of 3-14. Pakistan were restricted to 113-7 in 20 overs.
"I think they bowled well after 10 overs. We were chasing 120, we were run a ball for the first 10 overs, but back to back wickets and then [we left too much in the end]," Azam said after the match.
"Tactics was simple, play normally, rotate strike, 5-6 an over. But in that period we had too many dot balls, the pressure was on us, and we lost three quick wickets. Can't expect too much from tailenders.
"We were not up to the mark in the first six overs, we had targeted 40-45 runs, we have not capitalised properly.
"Pitch looked decent, ball coming nicely. Little bit slow, some balls are bouncing a bit more, but you expect it with a drop-in pitch."
In Group A, India have one foot in the Super 8 with two wins from their opening two matches while Pakistan have zero points from two losses following their upset by the hosts, the United States, in their first match.
"We didn't bat well enough. I thought halfway through, after 10 overs, we were in a good position, you expect guys to stitch partnerships. We were 15-20 runs short, and every run matters. We were looking at 140, but nevertheless the bowlers did the job. It was a good wicket compared to the one we played on here [against Ireland]. There's that never-say-die attitude in the team," Indian skipper Rohit Sharma said.
- Babar Azam
