The defending champions India kicked off their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign with a 29-run win over the United States of America (USA) on Saturday, February 7. USA won the toss and chose to field first at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
The Men in Blue were off to a disastrous start. They were reeling at 46/4 after six overs before skipper Suryakumar Yadav saved the day with a clutch knock. The swashbuckling batter showed tremendous composure under pressure, remaining unbeaten on 84 off 49 balls.
His batting exploits helped the team post a fighting total as they finished on 161/9 in 20 overs. Shadley van Schalkwyk was the pick of the USA bowlers, recording excellent figures of 4-0-25-4.
USA also lost early wickets, losing three batters within the powerplay. Shubham Ranjane (37 off 22), Sanjay Krishnamurthi (37 off 31), and Milind Kumar (34 off 34) chipped in with crucial contributions.
Mohammed Siraj claimed three wickets (4-0-2-3), while Arshdeep Singh (4-0-18-2) and Axar Patel (4-0-24-2) bagged two scalps each. India ultimately restricted USA to 132/8 after 20 overs.
Suryakumar was declared the Player of the Match for his stunning batting performance. Here, we take a look at three moments from the game that generated a buzz among the fans.
#1 India lose three wickets in a single over during the powerplay
USA were off to a dream start with the ball against India’s explosive batting lineup. The dangerous Abhishek Sharma departed for a golden duck in the second over.
To make matters worse for the hosts, they lost three wickets in a single over later in the powerplay. Shadley van Schalkwyk dismissed Ishan Kishan (20 off 16) on the second ball of the sixth over.
The opener was caught at mid-off while attempting to play a big shot. The short ball did the trick for van Schalkwyk as he removed Tilak Varma (20 off 16) and Shivam Dube (0 off 1) off successive deliveries to finish the over.
It is worth mentioning that India would have been in deeper trouble if not for a dropped catch in the 10th over. Suryakumar Yadav got a big reprieve after Shubham Ranjane put down a return catch when he was batting on 15.
#2 Suryakumar Yadav launches an onslaught against Saurabh Netravalkar
Suryakumar Yadav paced his innings brilliantly amid India’s batting collapse. He steadied the ship before changing gears in the death over. The side were 140/8 after 19 overs.
The Indian captain helped the team finish strongly by taking Saurabh Netravalkar to the cleaners in the final over. He struck two sixes and as many fours as India added 21 runs from the last six balls.
#3 Milind Kumar gets stumped after a brainfade moment
USA’s Milind Kumar got dismissed in a bizarre fashion. Varun Chakaravarthy dished out a googly on the final ball of the 12th over. Milind failed to read it and was beaten.
Interestingly, Milind didn’t seem to know where the ball had gone and ended up getting out of the crease to steal a single. Wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan fumbled a bit while gathering the ball.
However, with Milind looking to take a run, Kishan had plenty of time to recover and dislodge the bails. You can watch the dismissal below:
Suryakumar Yadav and Co. are placed at the top of the Group A points table with two points and a net run rate of 1.450. USA, on the other hand, are languishing at the bottom spot.
Edited by Aditya Suketu Desai
