Suryakumar’s 84* helps India overcome USA scare

Suryakumar Yadav

The shortest official format of the game, T20, turns out to be long enough to build someone up and then break their hearts. USA were the third team on the opening day of the T20 World Cup 2026 to threaten an upset, reducing India’s much-feared batting line-up to 46 for 4 and 77 for 6, but met the same fate as Netherlands and Scotland. Suryakumar Yadav — dropped on 17 off 15 — scored a masterful 84 not out off 49 balls, giving India plenty to defend on a surface where the ball gripped enough to make shot-making tricky.
Suryakumar scored 48 off the last 18 balls he faced, including 21 off the final over, dragging seven deliveries from wide outside off to the leg-side boundary, often ending up on his back after completing the shot. The bowlers, led by early strikes from Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh, never let the chase gain momentum, ensuring the lowest successful defence in a T20I at Wankhede Stadium.
When USA asked India to bat first, talk revolved around 300. Not without reason: India have crossed 250 three times since the last World Cup, and here they were on a generally true batting surface, a small playing field, and an Associate team to take on.
USA began with square leg and sweeper cover as the two men outside the ring. Abhishek Sharma, the best T20I batter in the world, fell for a golden duck to deep cover. Shadley van Schalkwyk then took three wickets in the final over of the powerplay: Ishan Kishan to a slower full ball, Tilak Varma to a quick short ball, and Shivam Dube for another golden duck to a slower short ball. Extra grass and moisture, used to preserve the square for the tournament, gave the pitch just enough grip to make these wickets possible.
Shubham Ranjane, grandson of Vasant Ranjane who played seven Tests for India, played his last match for Mumbai under the captaincy of Suryakumar. Now an international for USA, he began the night at his former home ground with a dive to save four runs but later dropped Kishan off a minor chance. When he started bowling, he created a return chance from his former captain but let it slip through his shoelaces.
Tall and quick, legspinner Mohammad Mohsin kept the chokehold in the middle overs. Not conceding a boundary in his first 15 balls, he produced a long-on catch from Rinku Singh. Harmeet Singh, another former Mumbai player, then got current Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya caught at deep cover, the ball stopping on him.
Once Harmeet had Axar Patel caught at deep midwicket to make it 118 for 7 in the 17th over, two things were clear: even a tall left-handed batter was struggling to time left-arm spinners, which meant India had a chance, and Suryakumar still had work to do.
Just as India started to open up, Ali Khan — two overs for 13 runs — injured himself while diving. Ranjane took over, bowled well, then injured himself diving in his follow-through. Suryakumar then took full toll of the 20th over, bowled by Netravalkar, who now holds the record for most runs conceded in a T20 World Cup match: 65.
Siraj was not originally expected to be part of this World Cup. Harshit Rana had been injured in the warm-up against South Africa, and Jasprit Bumrah fell sick. Siraj came in, playing a T20I for the first time in two years, and took a wicket on the fourth ball, sending back the big-hitting Andries Gous. Arshdeep Singh, who set the tone with no runs off the bat in the first over, stuck in with the wicket of Monank Patel. Siraj claimed three similar wickets when Saiteja Mukkamalla was caught at short midwicket, all mistimed slightly due to the slow pitch.
With no dew around, Varun Chakaravarthy and Axar Patel proved too good for USA on this surface. A period of 22 balls without a boundary was broken by a six from Milind Kumar, but Varun soon had him stumped. Sanjay Krishnamurthi hung in, reducing the equation to 62 off the last five overs, but Axar ended the fight with two wickets in two balls. (ESPNcricinfo)