New Delhi: India began their T20 World Cup campaign on a winning note, defeating the United States by 29 runs in the opening match at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.
After being asked to bat first, India posted 161 runs despite a shaky start. The defending champions were reduced to 46 for four in the powerplay, losing early wickets including Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav anchored the innings with a superb knock of 84 runs off 49 balls, guiding India to a competitive total. In the process, he also completed 1,000 T20 international runs as captain. Rinku Singh (6), Hardik Pandya (5) and Axar Patel (14) failed to make significant contributions.
For the USA, left-arm pacer Wayne Schalkwyk rattled the Indian top order, picking up three wickets in the powerplay, while Himmat Singh claimed key scalps later in the innings.
Chasing a target of 162, the USA struggled to keep up with the required run rate and were restricted to 132 runs, handing India a comfortable 29-run victory. India’s bowlers maintained consistent pressure to prevent the American batters from building partnerships.
Earlier, the tournament’s opening ceremony featured a musical performance by singer Rishabh Sharma. Former India captain Rohit Sharma and ICC chairman Jay Shah were present at the venue with the T20 World Cup trophy.
India, the defending champions, will look to build on this victory as they aim to retain their T20 World Cup title.
