Suryakumar Yadav waged a lone battle with the bat as India kicked off their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign with a 29-run victory over the USA at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Saturday (February 7).

Invited to bat first, the Men in Blue 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 a bit of support from his deputy Axar Patel (14). After completing his half-century off 36 balls, the Indian skipper put a pedal on the accelerator to finish with 84 not out off 49 balls.

Thanks to Surya’s knock, the defending champions posted a competitive total of 161/9 on the board. In the second innings, the Indian bowlers stepped up and restricted USA to 132/8 in 20 overs.

Speaking on JioHotstar's 'Haier Match Centre Live, legendary India opener Virender Sehwag hailed Suryakumar's knock as one of the best knocks of his career, explaining how important it was in the match situation.

"Imagine if the Indian team had been all out for just 100, we wouldn't have said that a weak team like the USA beat India. They have also qualified for the World Cup. That's why I feel it was one of the best knocks of Suryakumar Yadav's career. I always say, focus on the ball and not the bowler, because if it pitches in the right area, you have to respect it. If you go for your shots on a good ball, you might get out," Sehwag said.

The cricketer-turned-commentator was effusive in praise of the USA bowlers. "Take this USA team, we had heard very little about some of these bowlers, but they were able to reduce India to 77 for 6, which I don't think any other team has managed in the last two to two-and-a-half years. So, hats off to Suryakumar Yadav, he played extremely well," Sehwag added.

India’s next Group A match is scheduled against Namibia on Thursday (February 12) in New Delhi.