Finance
IND vs USA Highlights: Axar Patel ended the fight in the United States with two wickets in one over. In the 16th over, he dismissed Sanjay Krishnamurthi and Harmeet Singh, thus ending the chase. In the end, India executed their plans superbly and restricted the USA to 132/8, winning by 29 runs.
Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh provided India with an excellent start. The pace pair picked up three early wickets, putting the USA under pressure early on in the chase. Following that, Milind Kumar and Sanjay Krishnamurthi brought the situation under control. But the Indian spinners bowled some frugal overs, putting them under strain. Varun Chakaravarthy took Milind Kumar’s wicket just as the partnership was about to take off, pulling them back into the game.
Even after losing six wickets, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav stood tall. He formed a vital collaboration with Axar Patel, propelling India toward a fighting total. However, Harmeet Singh dismissed Axar Patel in the 17th over, stalling progress once more. Eventually, the Indian skipper reached his half-century off 36 deliveries. He remained unbeaten on 84 and dragged India’s total 161 at the end of 20 overs.
After the loss of the first four wickets, the onus was on Rinku Singh and Suryakumar Yadav to bring India back into the game. But Rinku Singh failed to impress under pressure. He gifted away his wicket off Mohammed Mohsin’s bowling putting India under deeper trouble at 72/5. This was soon followed by the departure of Hardik Pandya, leaving India struggling at 77/6.
India did not have a great start to their innings as Abhishek Sharma was dismissed for a golden duck of Ali Khan’s bowling. After his departure Tilak Varma provided the counter-punch to India. Along with Ishan Kishan, Varma settled down the early nerves for the home team. But Kishan’s knock did not last long as Schalkwyk picked up his wicket in the sixth over. Ishan Kishan walked back after scoring 20 runs off 16 balls. Tilak Varma also fell in the same over, followed by Shivam Dube the next delivery and India were struggling at 46/4.
India were asked to bat first in their opening game against the USA after Monank Patel won the toss. Jasprit Bumrah was rested for the match because of fever. On the other hand, India preferred to go in with the opening combination of Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma, dropping Sanju Samson, following his poor run of form at the top of the order.
India begin their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign at the Wankhede Stadium with a fixture that appears straightforward on paper but is filled with the burden of an opening game: set the pace, collect the points, and build a gap between themselves and the rest of the group in terms of net run rate. It is also the first genuine World Cup audition for a new-look India following the post-2024 reset – different bames in various roles, but the same requirement to be clinical. The USA arrive with nothing to lose and everything to win, relying on tight bowling spells, smart catching, and a scrappy mindset that will make the favourites uncomfortable.
Source: HT
