Despite wobbles and fumbles, India ensured a winning start to their title defence at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. They restricted USA to a score of 132/8 in the chase of a 162-run target, thereby securing a 29-run triumph at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
After not scoring a T20I half-century for the entirety of 2025, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav rediscovered the touch that he had lost in the recent series against New Zealand. He scored not only, but three fifties in a five-match series. And on Saturday at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, he scored his fourth T20I half-century in five matches.
Only — this was different from the others.
A Knock Unlike the Previous Ones
In all of the three previous instances, Yadav had a reliable partner at the other end. The role was played by Ishan Kishan in Raipur, Abhishek Sharma in Guwahati, and Ishan Kishan again in Thiruvananthapuram.
But on Saturday, in India’s opening fixture of the T20 World Cup 2026, Suryakumar Yadav was, for all practical purposes, the only man standing for India. India accumulated a total of 161 runs, which eventually proved to be enough by a significant margin, with Yadav scoring 84 of those runs — that is, 52%. India’s leading source of runs following Yadav was Tilak Varma, who could only amass 25.
The game had an anti-climactic start for fans who might have been swayed away by the broadcasters’ prediction of a 300-run breach by the Indian team. Abhishek Sharma was dismissed on a duck for a fourth time in his career in the second over.
At that stage, though, barely anyone was concerned, for there is not dearth of batting talent in the Indian team. But the last over of the powerplay, bowled by the South Africa-born Shadley van Schalkwyk, changed the complexion of the game. Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube were all dismissed in the same over, and the otherwise vivacious Wankhede crowd was numbed to an extend that one could hear the wind flow from the adjacent Arabian Sea.
The bleed was never arrested. The likes of Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel were all components of a marching band with perfectly synchronised movements. But Yadav was the odd one out.
What Stood Out From Surya’s 84*
What stood out from his innings was the way he constructed it — accelerating and decelerating seamlessly to fit the situation’s demand. Among the shortcomings the Indian captain has been criticised for is the lack of dimensions in his game. He could use this knock to debunk the myth of being one-dimensional.
Eventually, Yadav scored 84 runs in 49 deliveries at a strike rate of 171.42. But the first 31 of those deliveries saw him scoring 36 runs at a strike rate of 116.13. 48 of his runs came in the last 18 deliveries, at a strike rate of 266.67.
How Suryakumar Yadav Paced His Innings:
First 31 Balls — 36 Runs, 171.42 Strike Rate
Next 12 Balls — 27 runs, 225 Strike Rate
Last 6 Balls — 21 Runs, 350 Strike Rate
Mohammed Siraj — The Other Star for India
But for this victory, it will not be wise to award entirety of the credit to the Indian captain. Indeed, he took India to a fighting total, which eventually proved to be a winning total, but the flow of USA’s wickets was triggered by Mohammed Siraj.
Till yesterday, Siraj was not expected to compete in this tournament. In fact, he was expected to compete in this tournament at all. It was owing a knee injury sustained by Harshit Rana that India had to look for a last-minute replacement, and in hindsight, they could claim that they selected the best one.
In what was his first over in T20I cricket after a hiatus of almost 19 months. Siraj dismissed arguably USA’s most threatening batter, Andries Gous, who scored a match-winning century for Desert Vipers in the ILT20 not very ling ago. In his next over, he dismissed the young Saiteja Mukkamalla, who scored a half-century against New Zealand in the practice match.
The Workhorse Who Is Born Ready
Eventually, Siraj ended up being India’s most successful bowler in this fixture, with figures of 4-0-29-3. At the post-match press conference, he stated that he did not envisage playing at the World Cup, and could only offer a laugh when captain Suryakumar Yadav dialed him in and instructed to pack his bags. It was only when official confirmation arrived that he knew that he was actually competing in this tournament.
It was Siraj’s first T20I for India in nineteen months, having not played since July 2024. Although, it did not seem that way, for he has been constantly grinding hard in the domestic circuit.
Only in January itself, the Hyderabad pacer bowled 106 overs in competitive cricket, which included international matches for India, and Vijay Hazare Trophy and Ranji Trophy games for Hyderabad.
The Indian captain has always maintained that the problem of options aplenty is a nice headache to have. It remains to be seen how he will tackle this luxury, when Bumrah eventually regains his fitness. Will Siraj miss out despite this inspirational spell?
We will have to wait till Thursday, 12 February, to know that answer, when India will take on Namibia at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. For now, they will be content with the two points and the winning start they have earned from this fixture.