After a nervy and horrible start with the bat, team India recovered well against the USA in their 2026 T20 World Cup opener. They put 161 runs on the board
thanks to their captain Suryakumar Yadav as he played a knock of a lifetime, scoring 84 off just 49 balls when his team needed him the most.
USA, on the other hand, had an outside chance of beating the host nation in the opening match. But, failed to do so. There were some glimpses of hope in their chase, when Milind Kumar and Sanjay Krushnamurthy built a 58-run partnership. In the 16th over of their innings, with a well-set Krushnamurthy at the crease, it looked like the USA would go near the target butAxar Patelshowed his brilliance and produced a match-turning moment, denting USA’s chase just when they were hoping to build momentum.
On the second ball of the 16th over, Axar floated one up on middle stump and tempted Krishnamurthi into the slog sweep. The USA batter failed to get the elevation, as he skied the ball high towards deep mid-wicket, where Rinku Singh completed a safe catch.
The very next delivery brought even more drama, as Axar went full on the leg stump and Harmeet Singh, looking to clear the ropes with a slog sweep, struck it flat. However, the ball went straight to Mohammed Siraj at deep mid-wicket, who bent low and pouched it.
Watch the clip here-
☝️ Krishnamurthi
☝️ Harmeet
Two wickets in two deliveries for @akshar2026, and #TeamIndia are in the driver’s seat! 👏
Will we see a fightback from USA? 🤔
ICC Men’s #T20WorldCup | #INDvUSA | LIVE NOW 👉 https://t.co/GSioxLqv9R pic.twitter.com/eLMrpybxeq— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) February 7, 2026
USA eventually lost the contest by 29 runs. Replacing Harshit Rana in the World Cup side, Siraj took three wickets for India, while Axar and Arshdeep Singh took two each.
After a disappointing show by the batters, Indian bowlers stepped up to give them a much-needed victory. They will now turn their focus towards their next match against Namibia on February 12.
