USA Scares India, but Hosts Recover at the 2026 T20 Cricket World Cup

Mumbai, 8 February 2026 — For 40 breathless minutes at a heaving Wankhede Stadium, the United States men’s cricket team turned the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup on its head, reducing the planet’s top-ranked side to 46 for four and igniting dreams of a seismic upset. When the dust settled, India escaped with a 29-run victory, yet the 132 for eight posted by the Americans will linger long in tournament lore.

Winning the toss and inserting India on a deck he knew well, USA skipper Monank Patel watched Shadley Van Schalkwyk detonate the fifth over: three wickets in five balls, including the prize scalp of Ishan Kishan, left the defending champions wobbling at 34 for four. Van Schalkwyk’s final figures—four for 25—were the best by an Associate quick against India in T20 World Cup history.

But Suryakumar Yadav, cool under fire, produced an unbeaten 84 off 49 balls to shepherd India to 161 for nine. “We were looking to bat first,” Yadav admitted. “Of course there’ll be a little bit of pressure.”

Chasing 162, USA lost three top-order wickets inside the powerplay and crawled to 31 for three. Sanjay Krishnamurthi and Milind Kumar rebuilt with a 58-run stand, Krishnamurthi’s clean striking yielding two sixes and Kumar contributing 34. When Kumar holed out on the last ball of the 12th, the required rate had ballooned past ten. Krishnamurthi and Ranjane each finished with 37, but India’s death bowling—led by Arshdeep Singh and Ravi Bishnoi—closed the door, USA ending on 132 for eight.

Patel refused to dwell on the defeat. “Our bowlers did a great job… we kept them quiet for a long period,” he said. “Dropped catches cost us; 160 was chaseable. The intent was missing early with the bat, but a lot of learning from this game.”

The loss leaves USA at the foot of Group A with only three matches remaining; the top two advance to the Super 8. Next up is a rematch with Pakistan in Colombo on Tuesday, 10 February—USA stunned the Green Shirts in Dallas during the 2024 edition and will need a similar spark to keep qualification hopes alive.

India, meanwhile, moves to Bengaluru to face Namibia on 12 February, buoyed by a win that, for a while, looked anything but certain.