India began their T20 World Cup campaign on a positive note, registering a comfortable 29-run victory over the USA in their opening match on Saturday in Mumbai. Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav emerged as the standout performer, anchoring the innings with a superb unbeaten knock under pressure. Asked to bat, India endured a nightmare start, with the top order collapsing early and leaving the scoreboard reading a worrying 46 for 4 at the end of the powerplay.
Explosive batter Abhishek Sharma was dismissed for a golden duck by Ali Khan, while Shadley van Schalkwyk ripped through the batting lineup, striking three times in the final over of the powerplay to put India on the back foot. Overall, he took four wickets. However, India's innings was stabilised by captain Suryakumar Yadav, who smashed an unbeaten 84 off 49 deliveries to release pressure. His masterclass performance guided India to a respectable total of 161/9 in 20 overs.
USA, in their chase, mirrored India’s early struggles. Their top order crumbled quickly, losing the first three wickets in rapid succession, which gave India an upper hand early on. However, Milind Kumar and Sanjay Krishnamurthi mounted a comeback, scoring 34 and 37, respectively, but Indian bowlers remained resolute in their attack, restricting the USA to 132/8 in 20 overs.