Suryakumar Yadav produced a captain’s knock in India’s T20 World Cup 2026 opener against the USA at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Saturday (February 7).
Invited to bat first, the hosts were reeling at 46/4 at the end of the powerplay, with Abhishek Sharma (0), Ishan Kishan (20), Tilak Varma (25) and Shivam Dube (0) back in the hut. The scorecard soon turned 77/6 as Rinku Singh (6) and Hardik Pandya (5) failed to make a mark as well.
Amid the collapse, Suryakumar held the one end firmly and found good support from Axar Patel (14) and Arshdeep Singh (4). The Indian skipper anchored the innings and then exhibited his range of strokes.
After completing his half-century off 36 balls, Suryakumar went berserk in the last two overs. He was particularly severe on Saurabh Netravalkar, hitting the left-arm seamer for two fours and two sixes to finish with 84 not out off 49 balls.
Thanks to Surya’s knock, India posted a competitive total of 161/9 in their allotted 20 overs. Shadley van Schalkwyk was the pick of the bowlers for USA, returning with the figures of 4 for 25 in his four overs.
Cricket fraternity was full of praise for Suryakumar Yadav as his valiant effort guided India past the 160-run mark and ensured they had something to bowl at.
Here are the reactions:
