India rode on Suryakumar Yadav's masterful knock to get the better of USA by 29 runs in their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign opener at the Wankhede stadium on February 7. Bating first, India got off to a jittery start, but it was Suryakumar, who stood tall amidst the adversity with a lightning 49-ball 84, and rallied India from a precarious 77/6 to a handsome 161/9. Mohammed Siraj did the rest with the ball and summed up USA's innings at 132/8, thanks to his 3/29.
India have close shave against USA
India will now take on Namibia on February 12 at the Arun Jaitley stadium in New Delhi.
Defending a total of 162, India’s bowling attack clinical started with a devastating opening burst that left the USA’s chase in tatters. Mohammed Siraj drew first blood in the second over, dismissing Andries Gous for six thanks to a sharp, low catch by Tilak Varma. Arshdeep Singh quickly followed suit by removing USA captain Monank Patel for a two-ball duck, and Siraj struck again shortly after to dismiss Saiteja Mukkamalla. This early onslaught left the American side reeling at a precarious 13/3 after just 3.2 overs.
Mohammed Siraj breaks USA's back
Despite the initial collapse, Sanjay Krishnamurthi and Milind Kumar staged a gritty recovery to steady the ship. The pair navigated the remainder of the powerplay to reach 31/3 and continued their partnership through the middle overs, reaching 49/3 at the halfway mark. Milind showed flashes of intent with a boundary past third man to bring up the team's 50, while Krishnamurthi began to shift gears, striking a notable six off Hardik Pandya and a boundary against Varun Chakravarthy to keep the required rate within reach.
The 58-run stand was eventually broken in the 12th over when Varun Chakravarthy outfoxed Milind Kumar (34), resulting in a sharp stumping by Ishan Kishan. While the USA attempted to stay in the hunt through Krishnamurthi and Shubham Ranjane—reaching 98/4 after 15 overs—Axar Patel effectively ended their hopes in the 16th over. Axar struck twice in two balls, dismissing the well-set Krishnamurthi for 37 and removing Harmeet Singh for a duck, leaving the USA struggling at 98/6.
The tail struggled to keep pace with the mounting pressure, as Arshdeep Singh returned to dismiss Mohammad Mohsin for five. Although Shubham Ranjane played a spirited cameo of 37 from just 22 balls, hitting three sixes to push the score respectably, he was caught off Siraj on the final ball of the match. The USA finished their 20 overs at 132/8, falling 29 runs short and handing the defending champions a hard-fought opening victory.
Suryakumar Yadav's masterful 84 in India's win
Earlier, captain Suryakumar played a quintessential leader's knock, dragging India out of a deep mire to post a total of 161/9 in their tournament opener against a spirited USA side this Saturday. On a day marked by a collective failure from the star-studded batting lineup, Suryakumar was the lone warrior, remaining unbeaten on 84 from just 49 balls. His rescue act, featuring 10 boundaries and four sixes, single-handedly revived the defending champions after they had slumped to a disastrous 77/6 by the 13th over.
The early proceedings suggested a difficult night for the hosts, as India failed to score a single run off the first four balls of the match. While Ishan Kishan (20) briefly broke the tension with a six, the Wankhede Stadium was soon stunned into silence when world No. 1 Abhishek Sharma fell for a golden duck in the second over. Attempting to attack Ali Khan immediately, Abhishek picked out deep cover, falling victim to a brilliantly executed fielding plan by USA captain Monank Patel, who purposefully stationed his fielders to cramp the Indian openers.
The middle-order collapse was orchestrated by South African-born Shadley van Schalkwyk, who finished with incredible figures of 4/25. Although Tilak Varma (25) showed glimpses of aggression by taking on van Schalkwyk for three boundaries in an over, the momentum was short-lived. In a frantic sixth over, van Schalkwyk first removed Kishan—who failed to capitalize on a dropped catch earlier in the over—and then induced a mistimed pull from Varma, who sent a simple catch to the USA skipper.
Despite the chaos at the other end, Suryakumar showed his class by adapting to a pitch that offered extra bounce and grip. While his teammates struggled to time the ball or find gaps, the captain maneuvered the strike and accelerated at the right moments to ensure India reached a defendable, albeit sub-par, score. His effort turned a potential embarrassment into a fighting chance for the Indian bowlers to defend their title.
Despite his deep familiarity with the Wankhede surface, Shivam Dube endured a nightmare outing, falling for a golden duck. The burly all-rounder appeared completely outfoxed by an innocuous slower bouncer from Shadley van Schalkwyk; failing to check his stroke in time, Dube was caught in an awkward position, sending a simple catch to Saurabh Netravalkar at short fine leg. His dismissal punctuated a period where the Indian middle order looked utterly clueless against the USA’s disciplined pace variations.
The struggle continued as the lower-middle order failed to find any rhythm. Rinku Singh labored to a 14-ball 6 before mistiming his first aggressive shot straight to long-on off the bowling of Mohammad Mohsin. Hardik Pandya soon followed for just 5 runs, holing out to sweeper cover off former Mumbai teammate Harmeet Singh. Even Axar Patel, known for his late-inning cameos, perished for 14 while attempting to force the pace, leaving India’s innings in complete disarray.
With the team’s hopes resting entirely on his shoulders, Suryakumar took a calculated approach, farming the strike and digging in deep to stabilize the collapse. As the only Indian batter who truly decoded the tricky nature of the pitch, he initially played with caution before launching a spectacular assault in the final two overs. The skipper's mastery was on full display as he plundered 34 runs in the death overs—including a staggering 21-run blitz off the final over from Netravalkar—to push India toward a respectable total.