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2 min readFeb 8, 2026 06:00 PM IST
India's captain Suryakumar Yadav celebrates his fifty runs during the T20 World Cup cricket match between India and the United States in Mumbai, India, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
A cool-headed Suryakumar Yadav dragged India out of the mire with the skipper slamming an unbeaten 49-ball 84 to help India post 161/9 after the defending champions kept losing regular wickets against the USA in Mumbai on Saturday in their T20 World Cup opener. Surya’s calm demeanor under pressure reminded USA’s Harmeet Singh of MS Dhoni, under whom India had won the inaugural T20 World cup in 2007.
“Of course, we used to imagine all that but success came late for him. He was always… I think he has got the poise now which MS Dhoni also had later in his career,” Harmeet told reporters after the match when asked if he and Suryakumar had imagined the Indian skipper’s career would pan out this way.
“The flair that he had as a stroke-player, he played a sensible innings and he finished the game and played a proper knock.” “The maturity which (players like) Virat (Kohli) have, I played a matured knock and that is what happens with experience and (with) the kind of job he has been given. He is doing a great job,” he added.
Indian bowlers produced a disciplined effort after a middling batting display to subdue the United States of America by 29 runs, starting their ICC T20 World Cup campaign on a winning note.
Pacers Mohammad Siraj (2/29) Arshdeep Singh (2/18) and left-arm spinner Axar Patel (2/24) were the pick of the bowlers, after India laboured to 161 for 9.
In reply, the USA were restricted to 132/8.
Milind Kumar (34), Shubham Ranjane (37) and Suraj Krishnamurthi (37) fought well but were no match to the big-match experience of Indian bowlers.
Skipper Suryakumar fought back with a counter-attacking half-century (84, 49 balls) to cover up the failure of his colleagues in the top and middle order.
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India were left shell-shocked at 77 for 6 in the 13th over as USA’s 37-year-old South African-born pacer Shadley van Schalkwyk (4/25) tore through the batting, striking thrice in a brutal sixth over to remove Ishan Kishan (20), Tilak Varma (25) and Shivam Dube (0).
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