What a nail-biter! In their opening game of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at Wankhede Stadium, India scraped through a tense 29-run win over a brave USA side. The final scorecard says India 161/9 beat USA 132/8, but the match felt much closer than that.
India v USA Match Highlights
USA captain Monank Patel won the toss and put India in to bat. His bowlers struck gold early. Shadley van Schalkwyk produced a dream spell – 4/25 – including a devastating triple-wicket over in the Powerplay (Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube). India crashed to 46/4 and later 77/6. It looked like a collapse was coming.
Enter captain Suryakumar Yadav. He stayed calm, built a steady stand with Axar Patel (14), then cut loose. SKY smashed 84* off 49 balls, including 21 runs off the final over from Saurabh Netravalkar. That late burst took India to a respectable 161.
USA Fights Back, But India Strikes
Chasing 162, USA lost early wickets. Mohammed Siraj (3/29) and Arshdeep Singh reduced them to 13/3 inside three overs. Sanjay Krishnamurthi (37) and Milind Kumar (34) then added 58 runs and kept hope alive. Shubham Ranjane chipped in with a quick 37 too.
But Axar Patel’s double-wicket over (2/24) broke their back. Siraj sealed it with a perfect yorker at the death.
Record-Breaking Win for India
This victory gives India their 9th straight T20 World Cup win – a new world record, beating the old mark of 8 shared by South Africa and Australia.
Player of the Match went to Suryakumar Yadav for his match-winning knock.
Next up: India face Namibia on Thursday. After this scare, they’ll be hungry for a smoother ride.
What a way to start the campaign! Did you expect USA to push India this hard? Share your thoughts below!
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