India started their campaign for the 2026 T20 World Cup with a hard-fought 29-run victory over the United States at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on February 7, and the biggest reason behind the victory was a calm and powerful innings from captain Suryakumar Yadav.

India head coach Gautam Gambhir heaped praise on Suryakumar Yadav for delivering one of the best pressure shots in T20 cricket following their narrow victory over the United States.

Suryakumar Yadav saves India from abyss

The Men in Blue were in serious trouble early in the game. After being asked to bat first, they found themselves at a worrying 77 for 6. At that stage, the game had gone away from India. At that moment, the Indian captain took full responsibility against the United States.

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The right-handed batsman scored a crucial 41-run partnership with Axar Patel for the seventh wicket and then added 22 runs with Arshdeep Singh and 21 runs with Varun Chakravarthy to help the defending champions escape the woes in the 2026 T20 World Cup opener.

Also read: Suryakumar Yadav, Gautam Gambhir warn of ‘overconfidence’ after T20 World Cup win over USA

Siraj leads bowling attack to seal victory after Suryakumar Yadav’s brilliant performance

Once settled, Suryakumar showed his full capabilities. He shoots shots all over the court, combining smart placement with clean power. In the final over, he hit two sixes and two fours, completely changing the momentum and pushing India’s fighting total to 161 for 9. He remained unbeaten on 84 off just 49 balls against the United States at the Wankhede Stadium.

Mohammed Siraj led the attack brilliantly while defending the target, taking 3 wickets and scoring 29 runs to break the top order of Team USA. Arsdeep Singh and Axar Patel took two wickets each. The Indian bowlers kept their nerve throughout and never allowed the United States to build momentum. In the end, the US team limited the score to 132/8 and India won easily with 29 runs.

Master class luminary: Gambhir praises Suryakumar Yadav

After the match, Gautam Gambhir highlighted how clinical and special Suryakumar’s batting was in tough situations, calling it one of the best pressure innings in T20 cricket.

The Indian head coach feels that the way Suryakumar handles pressure and leads the team shows his class consciousness and game awareness.

Gambhir said in a BCCI video: “First of all, it was a master class. It was awesome. I’ve seen it in T20 cricket, especially under pressure, the situations we were in; I thought it was unbelievable.”

Also read: India to miss Delhi training as injury concerns mount for T20 World Cup 2026

Suryakumar Yadav calls USA match a wake-up call for India

Talking about the shaky start, the India skipper said the victory against the United States was very special and also taught some important lessons to the players and support staff.

Suryakumar said in the same video: “Winning is a very, very special feeling after a few scares and hiccups, but it’s also an eye-opener for the lads and the support staff. I’ve been in similar situations before, so I knew it was crucial to stay with me.”

The India skipper said batting on the pitch is not easy and the team needs to learn from what happened. He concluded by saying, “I know it’s a difficult wicket to bat on and we’re not used to such conditions. But at the same time, you can’t sweep everything under the rug. We have to understand how we can bat better. Eventually, you learn and move on.”