India head coach Gautam Gambhir lavished praise on captain Suryakumar Yadav after his unbeaten 84 powered the defending champions to a hard-fought win over the USA in their T20 World Cup 2026 opener at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday. India registered a 29-run victory to begin their title defence on a positive note, with Suryakumar producing a 49-ball knock under pressure, the only half-century of the match.
In a video shared by BCCI.tv on Sunday, Gambhir hailed Suryakumar’s innings in the dressing room, calling it a “masterclass”.
“It was a good result to start with, and Surya — that was a masterclass, outstanding. It was one of the best T20I innings played under pressure,” Gambhir said.
ALSO READ: Sourav Ganguly erupts over PCB’s India boycott threat: ‘Backing out of a World Cup for what?’
On a tacky Wankhede surface, the USA bowlers stuck to tight lines and built relentless dot-ball pressure to rock India early. Opener Abhishek Sharma fell for a golden duck, and the hosts soon slumped to 77 for 6 inside the first 12 overs.
With the defending champions in deep trouble, Suryakumar took control of the innings. Batting with composure and authority, the captain counter-attacked when needed, striking 10 fours and four sixes to lift India to a competitive 161 for 9 in 20 overs.
The bowlers then backed up the effort, restricting the USA to 132 for 8 to seal the win.
Suryakumar, while pleased with the result, admitted the scare served as an important wake-up call for the side.
“Very, very happy with the way things went. It was a little bit of a scare and a hiccup in the first game, but it was a good eye-opener for me, the boys and the support staff,” Suryakumar said.
“I’ve played in similar situations before, so I knew staying there was very important. It was a difficult wicket, one we’re not used to, and we have to understand how we could have batted better. But that’s part of the game.”
India will play their next Group A match against Namibia in Delhi on February 12.
