IND vs USA | T20 World Cup 2026: Defending champions India began their 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup campaign with a hard-fought 29-run victory over the USA at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, on Saturday.
USA captain Monank Patel won the toss and elected to bowl first. The USA Playing XI featured Andries Gous (wk), Saiteja Mukkamalla, Monank Patel (c), Milind Kumar, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Shubham Ranjane, Harmeet Singh, Mohammad Mohsin, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Ali Khan, and Saurabh Netravalkar.
India were without Jasprit Bumrah, Sanju Samson, and Washington Sundar. Mohammed Siraj came in as the second pacer. India’s Playing XI comprised Ishan Kishan (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, and Varun Chakaravarthy.
India’s innings got off to a disastrous start as Abhishek Sharma was dismissed for a duck on his very first ball. Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma then attempted to stabilize the innings, but Shadley van Schalkwyk turned the game on its head in the sixth over, claiming the wickets of Kishan, Varma, and Shivam Dube in the same over. India found themselves reeling at 46 for 4 at the end of the powerplay.
Van Schalkwyk, well supported by Mohammad Mohsin, continued to trouble the Indian batters, restricting India to 63 for 4 at the halfway mark. The situation worsened as Rinku Singh and Hardik Pandya departed in quick succession, both scoring single-digit runs. At 77 for 6 after 13 overs, India were in deep trouble.
Amid the collapse, skipper Suryakumar Yadav stood tall. Playing a captain’s knock, he remained unbeaten till the end, smashing 84 runs off 49 balls to rescue India to a competitive total of 161 for 9 in 20 overs. Shadley van Schalkwyk was the standout bowler for the USA, finishing with four wickets.
Defending a target of 162, India made an immediate impact with the ball. Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj provided early breakthroughs, reducing the USA to 31 for 3 at the end of the powerplay.
USA showed resistance through Milind Kumar (34) and Sanjay Krishnamurthi (37), who kept the chase alive. Shubham Ranjane added momentum with a quick 37 off 22 balls from No.6, but the required rate proved too steep.
Despite their efforts, the USA could only manage 132 for 8 in their 20 overs, falling short by 29 runs. Mohammed Siraj starred with the ball for India, picking up three wickets.
With this win, India registered their ninth consecutive victory in T20 World Cup matches, the most by any team in the tournament’s history, surpassing South Africa and Australia, who have eight wins each.
Suryakumar Yadav was adjudged Player of the Match for his match-winning innings. This was his 17th Player of the Match award for India, allowing him to surpass Virat Kohli (16) as the Indian player with the most such awards.
– Magizh
