India Beat USA by 29 Runs in T20 World Cup 2026 Opener After Suryakumar Yadav’s Gritty 84
Defending champions India began their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign with a hard-fought 29-run victory over co-hosts United States of America at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, overcoming a nervy start with a captain’s knock from Suryakumar Yadav and disciplined bowling at the death.
Asked to bat first after losing the toss, India found themselves in early trouble as the USA bowlers made full use of helpful conditions. Abhishek Sharma departed for a golden duck, while Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube also fell inside the powerplay. Despite a brief rebuilding effort by Kishan and Tilak, Shadley van Schalkwyk turned the game on its head with a devastating spell, leaving India struggling at 46 for 4 after six overs and later slipping to 77 for 6 with Rinku Singh and Hardik Pandya also dismissed cheaply.
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With wickets falling around him, skipper Suryakumar Yadav held one end together and played a calm yet authoritative innings under pressure. He found crucial support from Axar Patel in a 41-run partnership that helped India cross the 100-run mark. Even after Axar’s dismissal, Suryakumar accelerated in the final overs, completing his half-century in 36 balls and launching a late assault that yielded 21 runs in the final over. He remained unbeaten on 84 off 49 balls, striking 10 fours and four sixes, as India posted 161 for 9 in their 20 overs. For the USA, van Schalkwyk finished with 4 for 25, while Harmeet Singh picked up two wickets.
Chasing 162, the USA suffered a dramatic collapse early on as Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh struck in quick succession. Siraj removed Andries Gous with a sharp catch in the covers, Arshdeep dismissed captain Monank Patel for a duck, and Siraj sent back Saiteja Mukkamalla, reducing the hosts to 13 for 3 inside four overs. A fighting 58-run partnership between Milind Kumar and Sanjay Krishnamurthi revived hopes of an upset, with both batters showing intent and composure through the middle overs.
However, India clawed back at a crucial stage as Varun Chakravarthy broke the stand with the stumping of Milind, and Axar Patel then turned the match decisively with two wickets in successive balls, dismissing Sanjay and Harmeet Singh. From there, the Indian bowlers maintained pressure, and Siraj sealed the innings by removing Shubham Ranjane on the final ball. The USA were eventually restricted to 132 for 8, with Siraj finishing with 3 for 29, Arshdeep Singh taking 2 for 18, and Axar Patel claiming 2 for 24.
Speaking after the match, Suryakumar Yadav admitted he felt the pressure but backed his experience to see the team through. He said he knew he could make a difference by batting till the end, though he felt India could have batted better and smarter as a unit. He also described the pitch as different from a usual Wankhede surface and called the opening game a valuable learning experience for the squad. The Indian captain revealed that Abhishek Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah were under the weather, but added that there were no major concerns going forward.
The innings earned Suryakumar the Player of the Match award, his 17th in T20 internationals, taking him past Virat Kohli for the most such honours by an Indian player. It was also his fourth Player of the Match award in T20 World Cups, while the win marked India’s ninth consecutive victory in the tournament, the longest winning streak in the competition’s history. Notably, 161 became the lowest total successfully defended in T20 internationals at the Wankhede Stadium.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir praised Suryakumar’s knock in a team video, calling it a masterclass in pressure batting. Gambhir said that the innings was outstanding given the situation India were in, adding that such performances define top-level T20 cricket. Suryakumar, in turn, described the match as a wake-up call and stressed the importance of showing character when conditions and situations are challenging.
Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar also lauded India’s performance and Suryakumar’s composure, while appreciating the USA’s spirited showing against the defending champions. In a social media post, Tendulkar said that although India had a tense start, they finished calmly, crediting Suryakumar’s experience for guiding the team to a respectable total and praising the Indian bowlers for completing the job. He also described the USA’s energy and enthusiasm as promising, highlighting their role in contributing to the global growth of the game.
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