Suryakumar, Siraj bail India out from choppy waters

India managed to hold their composure after USA gave the favorites a scare at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. USA showed abundance of promise with the ball and bat, and will hope to build on the positives they displayed. India will look to rectify the errors if they are to successfully defend their T20 crown given the weren’t able to put up an ideal performance in the campaign opener.

India recovered from an alarming 77-6 to post a decent 161-9 with Suryakumar playing a captain’s knock worth 84 not out off 49 balls. The US managed 132-8 in reply, producing a valiant fight but never really coming ⁠close to chasing down the target.

India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah sat out ‌the match due to illness, and they were also forced into replacing the in-form Harshit Rana, who was ruled out of the tournament before ‌their opening match with a thigh injury.

Mohammed Siraj (3-29) justified his last-minute ⁠inclusion as Rana’s replacement with a two-wicket burst, while Arshdeep Singh also tasted success as they reduced USA to 31-3 in the Powerplay, although a few thirties from the middle-order kept the spark alive. However, in the end, India’s bowling prowess was too hot to handle, as USA fell short by 29 runs.

Brief Scores: India 161/9 in 20 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 84; Shadley van Schalkwyk 4-25, Harmeet Singh 2-26) beat USA 132/8 in 20 overs (Sanjay Krishnamurthi 37; Mohammed Siraj 3-29, Arshdeep Singh 2-18, Axar Patel 2-24) by 29 runs