India's T20 World Cup opener against the USA at Wankhede Stadium on Sunday turned out to be far more dramatic than anyone expected. In the last couple
of years, watching India stumble to 77 for 6 in the 12th over felt like one of those moments where the script flips completely.
The hosts, coming in as overwhelming favorites, were suddenly staring down the barrel against a spirited USA side. But credit where it's due when skipper Suryakumar Yadav and vice-captain Axar Patel pulled off a remarkable recovery, and India eventually posted a competitive total before restricting USA to win by 29 runs.
What really stood out, though, was how the pitch played its part. Wankhede is known for being a flat, high-scoring ground, the kind of track where 200+ totals are almost routine. Yet this one had a mind of its own, two-paced, gripping at times and stopping on the batters just enough to cause chaos.
Axar Patel reveals reason behind India collapse
Axar Patel, speaking after the match as quoted in The Indian Express, didn't hold back on how unexpected it all was.
"Generally [Mumbai] wickets are flat, but this was different. So we changed our plan to reach 140-150. " He went on to explain the early shock: "After two overs we were surprised. Generally it's flat but this was different. When I went to bat, we thought keep it to 140. then 21 runs came in an over. And later Surya got more," he said.
That late surge, especially those expensive overs from Saurabh Netravalkar after Ali Khan's unfortunate injury-gave India the breathing room they needed. Khan had been brilliant early, picking up Abhishek Sharma for a golden duck and keeping things tight, but his exit changed everything. Netravalkar leaked 42 runs in his final two overs, which proved decisive.
On the early collapse, Axar kept it real and positive. As per the Indian Express report, he said: "About those wickets that fell early that's cricket. It's good that this happened in the first match itself. In cricket, understanding the pitch is important. We will be better off for this experience. "
He stressed it wasn't about ditching their natural game either, it was just about smart adaptation.
"It's not about changing style. Just that we had to adapt and not hit every ball (for couple of overs there). " And on the key partnership with Suryakumar, he revealed the dressing-room chat: "The chat with [coach Gautam] Gambhir was also about taking it to the last over. to see which bowlers to take on. "
