Last Thursday, the USA cricket team produced arguably the biggest upset in Men’s T20 World Cup history by defeating Pakistan in a thriller in Dallas. Today, they will aim to produce perhaps the biggest upset in cricket history as they take on India in Group A action at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in East Meadow, New York.
After defeating rival Canada in their tournament opener on June 1, the USA faced tall odds to take down Pakistan. But after being set a target of 160, the Americans battled well. With a boundary needed off the final ball, Nitish Kumar came up clutch with a four to tie the match.
In the subsequent Super Over, the USA hit almost all the right notes with bat and ball. Aaron Jones set the tone with a first-ball boundary, and Pakistan went to the crease needing 19 runs to win. With 18 runs to work with, bowler Saurabh Netravalkar stepped up and etched his name in cricket history. He took one wicket and surrendered only 13 runs, securing an earth-shattering result for the tournament co-hosts.
As a result, qualification for the Super 8s is very much in play for the USA. Even with a loss today, a win over Ireland on Friday in Lauderhill, Florida would secure a spot in the next round.
T20 World Cup Group A Table
- India – 4 points (Net Run Rate: 1.455)
- USA – 4 points (NRR: 0.626)
- Pakistan – 2 points (NRR: 0.191)
- Canada – 2 points (NRR: -0.493)
- Ireland – 0 points (NRR: -1.712)
For those unfamiliar with cricket, what is net run rate, which will determine who moves on if there is a tie in the final table? It is a team’s average runs per over across the tournament minus the average runs allowed per over across the tournament.
If the USA can avoid a heavy loss against India, they could still be in contention to reach the Super 8s even if they lose to Ireland, depending on how things shake out in that match and in Saturday’s match between Pakistan and Ireland.
But can the Americans pull off the unthinkable today and make that all moot? Odds are certainly stacked against them, especially with how well India have bowled thus far in the tournament.
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USA vs India Odds
USA vs India cricket odds are courtesy of BetOnline, a longtime fixture in the sports betting industry. Check out our BetOnline sportsbook review, then grab yourself a nice sign-up bonus to bet on the tournament there.
Moneyline
- USA +800
- India -1250
Can the USA Challenge India?
The nature of T20 cricket creates the possibility for more upsets than in the longer forms of the sport. A few early or timely wickets with the ball can set a team up well. So can establishing a partnership or having someone get in the mood with the bat.
Against Pakistan, the USA took three wickets in the first 4.4 overs, and even though Pakistan did recover decently from there, they weren’t able to put up a total that put them out of sight.
With the bat, the Americans never let the target get out of reach, even after losing Andries Gous and captain Monank Patel in the 14th and 15th overs. Even as things looked dicey when 11 runs off of the final three balls were needed to just force a Super Over, they remained composed and confident.
That composure and confidence will be needed in droves once again to compete with India, who have started the T20 World Cup with wins over Ireland (by eight wickets) and Pakistan (by six runs).
Bowling has been India’s biggest strength to this point. In their opener, they restricted Ireland to only 96 runs and promptly chased down the tiny target in 12.2 overs. Against Pakistan, they managed just 119 runs with the bat but defended it with an outstanding all-around bowling effort, led by Jasprit Bumrah’s 3 wickets for 14 runs in his four overs.
Thanks to the USA’s performance against Pakistan, you can expect India to not take this match lightly. This isn’t to say that they would have beforehand, but they certainly won’t now.
As a result, we may see a dominant victory for the favorites. But don’t dismiss the USA’s chances to make things more competitive than expected.
USA vs India Prediction: India to win
USA vs India Picks: Over 243.5 runs (-115 at BetOnline)
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