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Indian team management cleared their intentions in team's T20 World Cup 2026 campaign opener against United States of America (USA) at the Wankhede stadium by excluding Sanju Samson from their playing XI. India lost the toss on their home turf, and the USA opted to bowl first, looking to exploit the early conditions.
Why Sanju Samson didn't feature in India's Playing XI in T20 World Cup opener?
The primary talking point surrounding the toss was the exclusion of star batter Sanju Samson from the starting lineup. Despite being a key selection in the World Cup squad, Samson was left out of the XI for the opening fixture. In his place, the team management has given the nod to the dynamic Ishan Kishan. This decision appears to be a direct reflection of their contrasting trajectories; while Samson has struggled with a recent dip in form, Kishan has been in impeccable touch, making him the preferred choice for this high-pressure opener.
India is banking on Kishan’s recent brilliance to provide a spark at the top of the order and set a formidable tone for the tournament. As the defending champions navigate their first challenge, all eyes will be on how Kishan handles the responsibility and whether the USA’s bowling attack can capitalize on their decision to field first.
“We were looking to bat first. It looks good here. I played a lot of cricket here. There's a wind around as well, so I don't think there'll be a lot of dew later on. Of course there'll be a little bit of pressure. We can't run away from that fact, but then new tournament, we want to play the same way how we've been playing in the last one or two years and continue the same thing,” Suryakumar Yadav said at the toss.
India's playing XI:
Ishan Kishan(w), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj
USA's Playing XI:
Saiteja Mukkamalla, Andries Gous (wk), Monank Patel (capt), Milind Kumar, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Harmeet Singh, Shubham Ranjane, Mohammad Mohsin, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Saurabh Netravalkar, Ali Khan
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