Suryakumar Yadav and Co have their task cut out.
Mumbai: Having done almost everything right over the last 19 months and dominating the format like none other, a confident India will begin their quest for cricketing history when they open their T20 World Cup title defence against minnows USA here on Saturday.
Since winning the coveted trophy for the second time on a warm June 2024 afternoon in Barbados -- that somewhat wiped away the agony of the 2023 ODI World Cup heartbreak while ending India’s 11-year drought in global tournaments -- the Men In Blue have become an irresistible force in T20Is, losing just six times in 41 matches in the period.
In a format that’s supposed to bridge the gap and level the playing field, India have ended up opening a yawning gap between them and the rest of the world. It’s so wide, pundits and fans have installed India as the overwhelming favourites to wear the crown for a record third time. The swagger surrounding this fearless bunch, led by the enterprising Suryakumar Yadav, is similar to what the West Indies displayed in the 1970s and the Australians in the late 1990s and 2000s.
The major factor behind India’s phenomenal success has been the breathtaking batting, where they’ve toyed with a wide variety of bowling with relative ease. Abhishek Sharma, easily the most destructive opener in the world at the moment, has time and again provided India with blazing starts. The way he’s able to dictate play in the Powerplay is a sight to behold.
Tilak Varma, who missed the preceding New Zealand series due to injury but returned to fitness in the warm-up game, has consistently delivered, while Suryakumar, who was going through a bad run in the build-up, found his mojo against the Kiwis. Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya and Rinku Singh provide the fireworks in the middle order, the trio who have the uncanny ability to start swinging from the word go.
The only concern for India was the continued poor run of opener Sanju Samson. But Ishan Kishan, a late addition to the squad, smashed a century and a half-century in the New Zealand series and even belted a 53 in the warm-up affair versus South Africa. This collective batting might is what India will be looking to flex against the USA at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday.
The opening clash offers a chance for India to fix one issue that cropped up quite late - the slide of ace spinners Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav. Both of them were well worked out by the Kiwis, but a strong display against the USA will bolster their confidence ahead of the bigger battles.
The USA, who stunned Pakistan via Super Over in the last edition and even made it to the Super Eights, will be hoping to replicate the same. It’ll be a homecoming for players like captain Monak Patel, Harmeet Singh, Saurabh Netravalkar — who was one of the stars in his country’s rousing run in 2024 — Shubham Ranjane, and Milind Kumar. All of them played domestic cricket here before moving West for better opportunities given the overabundance of talent in India.
While there will be hugs and handshakes before the contest considering they shared the dressing room with some of the Indians, they know the Herculean challenge that awaits them once play starts. With an entire stadium rooting for India and the hosts looking to put their best foot forward, it’s something they are not accustomed to. Suryakumar and his men will be gunning for nothing less than a big win.
Squads: India: Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Abhishek Sharma, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Tilak Varma, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy.
USA: Monak Patel (capt), Andries Gous, Saiteja Mukkamalla, Sayan Jahangir, Harmeet Singh, Shehan Jayasuriya, Sanjay Krishnamurthy, Milind Kumar, Mohammad Mohsin, Shubham Ranjane, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Ali Khan, Jaspdeep Singh, Noshush Kenjige, Saurabh Netravalkar.