After a shaky start with the bat, India bounced back against the USA in their opening match of the 2026 T20 World Cup. They scored 161 runs, largely thanks to their captain Suryakumar Yadav, who delivered an impressive performance with 84 runs off 49 balls when his team needed it most.
The USA had a slim chance of an upset but fell short. There were signs of promise in their innings when Milind Kumar and Sanjay Krushnamurthy formed a 58-run partnership. As they approached the end of their innings, it seemed the USA might get close to the target. However, Axar Patel made a critical play that turned the game, interrupting the USA’s momentum just when they appeared to be gaining strength.
On the second ball of the 16th over, Axar bowled a tempting delivery at middle stump, prompting Krushnamurthy to attempt a slog sweep. Unfortunately, he mis-hits the ball, sending it up for a catch at deep mid-wicket, which Rinku Singh successfully took.
The drama continued on the next ball when Axar delivered a full toss on the leg stump. Harmeet Singh, trying to hit it out of the park with a slog sweep, sent it directly to Mohammed Siraj at deep mid-wicket, who made a low catch.
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