India were made to work hard in their opening Group A match of the T20 World Cup. They eventually beat the USA by 29 runs at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday.
Asked to bat first, India stumbled early. The top order collapsed to 46 for 4 inside the powerplay. Abhishek Sharma was dismissed for a golden duck by Ali Khan. Shadley van Schalkwyk struck three times in the final over of the powerplay and kept the pressure on the hosts.
Suryakumar Yadav held the innings together. He scored an unbeaten 84 off 49 balls. His knock lifted India to 161 for 9 on a tricky, two-paced surface.
“I knew some day, it was going to come,” Suryakumar said after the match. “I was trying to hold the innings for the team.”
He spoke about the mindset behind his knock. “I always felt there was a need for a batter to bat till the end,” he said.
Suryakumar also read the conditions early. “It was not a 180 or 190 wicket. It was more like a 140 wicket,” he said. “I have played a lot of cricket here. I know how to bat on such wickets.”
At one stage, India were in deep trouble. “From 77 for 6, one batter had to stay till the end,” he said. “I was just trying to play good shots.”
Van Schalkwyk was the standout with the ball. He finished with figures of 4 for 25. USA captain Monank Patel had earlier won the toss and chose to bowl.
In reply, the USA never really threatened. India’s bowlers kept things tight and restricted them to 132 for 8.
