The Wankhede Stadium hosted a full-blown wave of emotion, nostalgia and goosebumps as the T20 World Cup 2026 was officially declared open on Saturday.
Bollywood glamour, pulsating music and jaw-dropping visuals filled the evening, but make no mistake: the loudest roar was reserved for Rohit Sharma.
Back at the ground where he led India to World Cup glory in 2024, Rohit looked visibly moved.
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Standing on the field, the Tournament Ambassador admitted, “Ajeeb lag raha hai idhar. Waha se idhar ajeeb lag raha hai”, confessing how strange it felt to be on this side of the rope instead of leading the team out.
The crowd felt it too. Rohit was greeted with a standing ovation, chants of “Mumbai Cha Raja” ringing through the stands.
“It’s always nice to be here,” he said later. “They love their cricket here. Mumbai’s energy, it’s never disappointing.”
Rohit stood alongside ICC chairman Jay Shah to officially launch the tournament, lifting the silverware once more.
For Mumbai fans, it was a poignant sight: their local hero with the trophy again, even if only symbolically this time.
“There’s an emotional feel,” Rohit reflected. “I’m still not used to being on this side of the field. Moments like these won’t come back.”
As the teams assembled for the toss, Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav ran towards his former skipper, seeking his quick advice on what decision to take if India won the toss.
With a smile and urgency, Yadav asked Rohit, “Jaldi bolo batting karu ya bowling?”
Rohit Sharma responded in his trademark relaxed style, “Fielding kar, pagal hai kya?” leaving those around them in splits.
Even Yuzvendra Chahal, on broadcast duty, couldn’t resist sprinting across to meet his former captain.
India survive USA scare
And just when the nostalgia settled, the cricket delivered its own gut punch.
USA were the third team on opening day to threaten a shock, ripping through India’s feared batting to leave them wobbling at 46/4 and 77/6.
Then Suryakumar Yadav took over.
Dropped on 17, SKY turned chaos into control with a breathtaking 84 off 49*, a knock that was equal parts escape act and assault. On a tricky surface, he flipped the script late — hammering 48 runs off his last 18 balls, including a wild 21-run final over, dragging wide balls to the leg-side fence and often ending up flat on his back.
Given something to defend, India’s bowlers finished the job. Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh struck early and never let the chase breathe, sealing the lowest successful T20I defence at Wankhede.
