Suryakumar lays foundation for emphatic Indian win over US
MUMBAI: Riding on the brilliance of Suryakumar Yadav’s combust 84, a true skipper’s knock, Team India prevailed over the United States of America by 29 runs as they began their title-defence in the ICC T20 World Cup on Saturday night stylishly.
“I always felt there was need for a batter to stay till the end. I have played a lot of cricket in Mumbai, including the Maidan,” said Surya as he collected the player of the match award.
‘Bleed Blue’ was the theme in and around the iconic stadium, even though there were empty seats, surprisingly, inside the arena. The kind of jolt which the USA bowlers inflicted early on, reducing India to 77/6 in 12.4 overs, was hard to digest. Fans’ faces were tense and for crores of fans watching on television and mobile apps, the collapse at the top was uncharacteristic.
This kind of problems do crop up in an opening match, where the pressure on India as defending champions was huge. But then, one has to clap for Shadley Claude van Schalkwyk, who bowled his heart out to claim four wickets. His 4 for 25 of four overs was defining, as the Americans enjoyed their day out.
If the wrinkles on the foreheads of fans was obvious, one man showed he was going to soak in the pressure like a sponge.
Enter Suryakumar Yadav, the champion skipper, who has been described as a 360-degree batter often. The geometry of shots he created was amazing. His timing was sweet, and the way he adjusted his footwork to milk runs with hits on the leg side stood out for various reasons.
Indeed, Surya knows the layout of the Wankhede Stadium too well. So, when he was going for his lavish shots, off pace and spin, he knew how well he was positioned. To score 84 runs off 49 balls, studded with 10 fours and six sixes was gilt-edged.
Once the Indian total had touched 161, the Indian side knew they were in with a chance. With a potent bowling attack at their disposal, the way India attacked the USA was a wonderful sight. Fans, with faces painted, and sporting India colours, were screaming.
There was bad news for India early on, as Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out, as expected. Many Mumbaikars have been battling a viral flu in recent weeks, so for Bumrah to be ruled out was a big blow.
But then, never discount Mohd Siraj. Lion-hearted and spirited, the fast bowler was menacing. His bowling approach, as he steamed in, was one of aggression. He probed the corridors of uncertainty outside the off-stump. What was defining, he struck two early blows, even as Arshdeep Singh showed why he is rated as a top bowler in the T20 format.
One has to sing praise of Siraj. He was drafted in at the last minute, yet showed what it means to come out firing when needed. His final analysis read, 3 for 29 off four overs.
One look at the American ‘sheet,’ all Indian names, may have been familiar. So, when Milind Kumar scored 34 runs, before falling to the guile of Varun Chakravarthy, he had done his bit. Sanjay Krishnamurthi, too, showed character as he grafted 37 runs, before falling to Axar Patel.
For those who were worried about the dew factor, the Indian bowlers handled it well. The stadium is situated right next to sea, and there is a stiff breeze in the evening. Add to it dew, the Indians knew they had to bowl tight.
What caught the eye was the calm assurance of wily Varun Chakravarthy and how Axar Patel, the left-arm spinner, bowled tight. He was playing mind games with the USA batters. For sure, on paper, there has been no doubting the class of Team India.
A key aspect also was how wicket-keeper Ishan Kishan and the other fielders stood out. This is due to hard preparation and the mindset, to think of only a win even when the chips were down, in phases, early on.
For the USA, this was close to a perfect opening statement in the tournament. Having already shaken Pakistan in a Super Over previously, Monank Patel’s men arrived with belief and left India rattled. Winning the toss on a dew-prone surface, they bowled with discipline, variety and clarity of plan —extracting swing, pace-off movement and bite from a surface that India never quite read.
