India faced a tough beginning in their T20 World Cup 2026 opener against the United States on February 7 at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The defending champions found themselves at 48/4 after the powerplay, thanks to strong bowling from the USA.
The USA captain, Monank Patel, won the toss and chose to bowl first. India began their innings with Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma, but the partnership did not last long. Despite a good start that included a six, Abhishek was out for a duck on his first ball in the second over. Ali Khan forced a mistimed shot, and Sanjay Krishnamurthi took the catch at deep cover.
Ishan then tried to stabilize the innings with Tilak Varma, and they put together 37 runs for the second wicket. Just as India seemed to be gaining momentum, Shadley van Schalkwyk made a crucial impact in the last over of the powerplay.
Van Schalkwyk dismissed Ishan on the second ball of the sixth over, caught by Milind Kumar at mid-off. A few deliveries later, Tilak fell while trying to pull, mistiming it to Monank, who caught it easily inside the circle. The last ball of the over added to India’s troubles as Shivam Dube was out on a slower short length delivery.
Dube was early on the pull shot and ended up top-edging the ball, which Saurabh Netravalkar caught well at short fine leg. The USA players celebrated, while the Indian team looked disheartened as they were left at 48/4 after six overs.
After this poor start, India needed to recover. Mohammed Siraj returned to the lineup, replacing Harshit Rana due to injury. Jasprit Bumrah missed the match due to a viral fever, while Sanju Samson, Kuldeep Yadav, and Washington Sundar did not play. As defending champions, India will look to bounce back after a shaky performance in the powerplay.
