NEW DELHI: Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan praised captain Suryakumar Yadav for producing a captain's knock under pressure in India's ICC T20 World Cup clash against the USA at the Wankhede Stadium, while also taking a sharp dig at the rest of the batting unit for what he termed "mindless batting."

With wickets tumbling at regular intervals, India found themselves in deep trouble after being reduced to six down for 77. At a point when embarrassment was staring them in the face, it was Suryakumar who stood tall on his home turf, absorbing the pressure and then counter-attacking with authority.

Taking to X, Pathan wrote, "When the chips are down, you look to your leader. And Surya Kumar Yadav delivered like a true captain. What an innings."

Meanwhile, on the rest of the batting, he posted, "You have to call it as mindless batting."

Put in to bat, India suffered an early blow as Abhishek Sharma was dismissed for a golden duck. Ishan Kishan (20 off 16 balls, including a four and two sixes) and Tilak Varma (25 off 16 balls, with three fours and a six) attempted to steady the innings with a 37-run stand.

The partnership was broken by Shadley van Schalkwyk, who turned the game on its head with a superb spell, removing both set batters on his way to figures of 4/25 in four overs. What followed was a dramatic collapse, with India slipping to 77/6 as Shivam Dube (0), Rinku Singh (6) and Hardik Pandya (5) failed to make an impact, leaving the Wankhede crowd stunned.

Refusing to surrender, skipper Suryakumar Yadav produced a lone hand of the highest quality, smashing an unbeaten 84 off 49 deliveries, laced with 10 fours and four sixes, to haul India to 161/9 at the end of their 20 overs.

The USA bowlers were outstanding throughout, with Harmeet Singh (2/26) and Mohammad Mohsin (1/16) delivering disciplined and incisive four-over spells that kept India's powerful batting line-up firmly in check.