Table of Contents

NEW DELHI: Skipper Suryakumar Yadav’s heroics and Mohammed Siraj’s incisive opening spell underlined defending champions India’s scratchy 29-run win over the United States of America, despite a stunning top-order collapse in the T20 World Cup opener on Saturday.

A veteran of many battles at the Wankhede Stadium, Suryakumar’s unbeaten 84 off 49 balls was a blend of calm rescue and aggressive counter-attack against a USA attack that proved far from easy.

The Indian captain’s experience at his home ground paid off, as patience and discipline allowed him to anchor the innings while India had been reeling at 77 for 6 at one stage.

Top-Order Collapse Gives USA Hope

Suryakumar’s late surge, featuring 10 fours and four sixes after being dropped on 15, pushed India to 161/9 from a precarious 128/7 after 18 overs.

USA, in reply, could manage only 132/8. Their early bowling had kept India under pressure, and fielding was sharp, but they failed to capitalize on the top-order collapses.

Siraj, who joined the squad late Friday as a replacement for an unwell Jasprit Bumrah, bowled a disciplined spell to finish with 3/29 in four overs. Once USA were 13 for 3 inside the fourth over, the chase never recovered.

Openers Andries Gous (6) and Saiteja Mukkamalla (2) fell to Siraj, while Arshdeep Singh (2/18) removed skipper Monank Patel for a duck. Milind Kumar (34), Sanjay Krishnamurthi (37), and Shubham Ranjane (37) offered resistance but couldn’t dominate.

Indian Batting in Trouble

Earlier, the top and middle order had struggled as South African-born pacer Shadley van Schalkwyk returned figures of 4-0-25-4.

India failed to score off the first four deliveries of the innings, and the first blow came when Abhishek Sharma was sent back for a first-ball duck by Ali Khan.

Tilak Varma (25) and Ishan Kishan (20) attempted to steady the innings, but wickets fell in clusters. Shivam Dube (0), Rinku Singh (6), Hardik Pandya (5), and Axar Patel (14) all failed to convert starts, leaving Suryakumar Yadav to hold the innings together.

Suryakumar’s Late Assault Seals the Win

With the onus solely on him, Suryakumar farmed the strike and executed his trademark shots with precision.

In the final two overs, he scored 34 runs, including 21 off the last over from Netravalkar, lifting India to a competitive 161/9.

Varun Chakravarthy (1/24) and Axar Patel (2/24) supported in the post-powerplay overs, restricting USA to 48 runs while taking three wickets in eight overs, ensuring India held on for a 29-run victory.

(With PTI Inputs)