In the T20 World Cup 2026 opener, India suffered a shocking collapse to 77/6 against the USA. Captain Suryakumar Yadav’s brilliant 84 rescued the innings, lifting India to 161/9 before the bowlers sealed a 29-run win.
Team India T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav delivered a masterclass performance with the bat when the hosts were reeling by shambolic batting display in the T20 World Cup 2026 opener against the United States of America (USA) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday, February 7.
The Men in Blue kicked off their quest for the title defence with a 29-run win over the USA. After posting a total of 161/9, thanks to Suryakumar Yadav’s captain’s 84-run knock, Indian bowlers restricted the visitors to 132/8 in 20 overs, despite a tricky pitch and a batting collapse that left Wankhede Stadium spectators stunned and silent.
Mohammed Siraj led the bowling attack with figures of 3/29 at an economy rate of 7.20 in his spell of four overs. Arshdeep Singh (2/18) and Axar Patel (2/24) picked two wickets each, while Varun Chakravarthy (1/24) took a scalp, putting the finishing touches on India’s disciplined bowling effort.
Suryakumar Yadav’s Lone Rescue Act
Team India was put into bat first after USA skipper Monank Patel won the toss in the third match of the T20 World Cup 2026. The USA were considered minnows against the defending champions, Team India, but the visiting team’s bowling attack stunned the hosts’ batting line-up, especially the top and middle order.
Shadley van Schalkwyk’s triple-wicket over collapsed India’s batting to 46/4 before further leaving India deeply in trouble at 77/6. The situation was so perilous that the Men in Blue’s chances of reaching 100-run looks slim until Suryakumar Yadav stepped up for his team when he was needed the most. Having played domestic cricket in Mumbai, Suryakumar appeared to be familiar with conditions at Wankhede Stadium.
Scroll to load tweet…
India skipper’s 31-run stand for the sixth wicket with Axar Patel was crucial as it took Team India past the 100-run mark. In the first six overs, India posted a total of 46/4, but in the final six overs of the innings, Suryakumar Yadav unleashed a flurry of powerful strokes, scoring 75 runs off the last six overs to push India to 161/9.
Scroll to load tweet…
Scroll to load tweet…
Suryakumar Yadav’s knock was so crucial that the outcome of the match largely hinged on his brilliance. If Team India clinched the victory in the opener against the USA, it was largely due to India’s skipper’s calm and calculated counterattack approach that rescued the innings and set up a defendable total.
In fact, Suryakumar Yadav scored 84 of India’s 161 runs, accounting for almost 53% of the team’s total, underlining how heavily the innings revolved around his lone, match-defining effort.
Suryakumar Yadav’s Fighting Effort Earns Praise
Suryakumar Yadav’s 84-run effort became a major talking point of the match, as the fans and cricket enthusiasts were left in awe of the India skipper’s composure, fearless strokeplay, and leadership in steering the team out of a dire situation.
Given the collapse in India’s batting, the fans almost lost hope of a competitive total, until Suryakumar Yadav’s counterattacking brilliance revived elief and turned the momentum in India’s favour.
Taking to their X handles (formerly Twitter), fans and cricket enthusiasts lavishly hailed Suryakumar’s 84 as a captain’s knock of the highest order, lauding India skipper pulling the team out of a shambolic situation. Others highlighted India’s fragile top and middle order, stating Suryakumar’s lone rescue act proved to be the decisive difference between defeat and a hard-fought opening victory.
Scroll to load tweet…
Scroll to load tweet…
Scroll to load tweet…
Scroll to load tweet…
Scroll to load tweet…
Scroll to load tweet…
Scroll to load tweet…
Scroll to load tweet…
Scroll to load tweet…
Scroll to load tweet…
Scroll to load tweet…
Scroll to load tweet…
Scroll to load tweet…
Scroll to load tweet…
Scroll to load tweet…
Scroll to load tweet…
With his 84-run knock, Suryakumar Yadav has completed 1000 runs as a captain in T20Is. In 44 matches as India skipper, the flamboyant batter has amassed 1074 runs, including a century and 8 fifties, at an average of 30.68 and a strike rate of 161.01.
Additionally, Suryakumar won his 17th Player of the Match award for his batting brilliance, the most by an Indian player in the history of the format at the international level.