India captain Suryakumar Yadav rescued his side with an innings for the ages on the opening day of the 2026 T20 World Cup against USA at the Wankhede Stadium.
USA give India a scare, SKY responds with captain's knock
The United States of America won the toss and put India in to bat. They got off to the best possible start, getting rid of world No.1 T20I batter Abhishek Sharma for a golden duck. Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma didn't let that dampen the spirits as they took India to 45-1 by 5.1 overs. And then Shadley van Schalkwyk bowled a triple-wicket over to send shockwaves through the Indian camp and the home crowd.
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India were reduced to 46-4, and then to 77-6, staring down the barrel after entering the tournament as downright favourites. With less than seven overs to go and only Axar Patel for company as a recognised batter, Suryakumar Yadav was circumspect, taking only the odd calculated risk as he tried to get India closer to the 20th over without further loss.
At the end of 18 overs, India were 128-7, and Suryakumar was batting on 52 (38). In the last two overs, the India captain faced 11 out of the 12 balls and smashed 32 runs, taking India to 161-9 and giving them a fighting total, which at one stage, looked far beyond their reach.
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Suryakumar finished unbeaten on 84 off 49 balls, having hit 10 fours and four sixes. The rest of the nine batters combined made 74 off 71 balls, hitting eight fours and three sixes.
This turned out to be the fifth-highest score by a captain in a men's T20 World Cup match ever, surpassing Jos Buttler's 83* against the same opponents in the 2024 edition.
Among Indians, SKY's knock is now the second-highest score by a captain in a men's T20 World Cup, after Rohit Sharma's 92 (41) against Australia in 2024. Interestingly, no captain has ever scored a century in the tournament's history.
For Suryakumar, this was the 29th time he crossed 50 in T20Is and the fourth time he has done so in six games this year, marking a specatcular return to form after an indifferent 2025.
Also read: Not yet SKY-fall: Why Suryakumar Yadav's form isn't concerning for India
Highest scores by captains in men's T20 World Cups
| Player | Runs | Balls faced | 4s | 6s | SR | Opposition | Ground | Date |
| Chris Gayle (WI) | 98 | 66 | 5 | 7 | 148.48 | v India | Bridgetown | 9 May 2010 |
| Rohit Sharma (IND) | 92 | 41 | 7 | 8 | 224.39 | v Australia | Gros Islet | 24 Jun 2024 |
| Chris Gayle (WI) | 88 | 50 | 6 | 6 | 176 | v Australia | The Oval | 6 Jun 2009 |
| Kane Williamson (NZ) | 85 | 48 | 10 | 3 | 177.08 | v Australia | Dubai (DICS) | 14 Nov 2021 |
| Suryakumar Yadav (IND) | 84* | 49 | 10 | 4 | 171.42 | v U.S.A. | Wankhede | 7 Feb 2026 |
| Jos Buttler (ENG) | 83* | 38 | 6 | 7 | 218.42 | v U.S.A. | Bridgetown | 23 Jun 2024 |
| Jos Buttler (ENG) | 80* | 49 | 9 | 3 | 163.26 | v India | Adelaide | 10 Nov 2022 |
| Angelo Mathews (SL) | 73* | 54 | 3 | 5 | 135.18 | v England | Delhi | 26 Mar 2016 |
| Jos Buttler (ENG) | 73 | 47 | 7 | 2 | 155.31 | v New Zealand | Brisbane | 1 Nov 2022 |
| Babar Azam (PAK) | 70 | 49 | 7 | 0 | 142.85 | v Namibia | Abu Dhabi | 2 Nov 2021 |
Match 3, India vs USA
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