India defeated the USA by 29 runs in their T20 World Cup 2026 opener.
The reigning champions, India, have entered the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 as the favourites to defend their crown on home soil. Besides this, the team has also spurred the fans’ wish to witness them smashing the 300-run mark in the ongoing edition with a consistent explosive approach since winning the second silverware of the format.
But the Men in Blue’s tournament opener in the T20 World Cup 2026 saw a completely different story. Playing against the USA at the iconic Wankhede Stadium, India were 63/4 at the halfway stage of the first innings, which the side usually crosses over before the completion of the powerplay.
No other batter, except for captain Suryakumar Yadav (84* off 49), was able to anchor the innings. It was by virtue of his late surge that India managed to put up a fighting total of 161/9 on the board.
According to a Times of India report, the Indian management has complained to the BCCI about the track used in their first match of the T20 World Cup 2026. Notably, the team has adapted to a completely different batting approach in the T20Is under the head coach Gautam Gambhir.
Previously, they had managed an unbeaten, triumphant run in the relatively slow surfaces of the UAE during the Asia Cup 2025, majorly due to a record-breaking campaign by India’s swashbuckling opener Abhishek Sharma. The batter was adjudged the Player of the Tournament for his 314 runs in seven fixtures at an astonishing strike rate of 200.
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But India would like to dominate the games in their home T20 World Cup by putting up some massive totals on the board. They would want to follow a similar template that was on display in the recently concluded five-T20I series facing New Zealand. But even during the home encounters, their solitary defeat had come in Visakhapatnam, where the pitch helped spin.
Another strong component that majorly helps the batters is dew. But it has not yet impacted the initial matches of the T20 World Cup 2026. However, apart from the tracks, the hosts as well as the two-time champions would also look to rectify the gaps in their lineup early in the high-stakes event.
Suryakumar and Co. will next face Namibia in Delhi on February 12 before locking horns with the arch-rivals Pakistan in Colombo on Sunday.
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