Mumbai

Skipper Suryakumar Yadav’s resolute unbeaten 84 and Mohammed Siraj’s incisive opening spell powered defending champions India to a hard-fought 29-run victory over the United States of America in their T20 World Cup opener at the Wankhede Stadium here on Saturday.

After a stunning top-order collapse left India reeling at 77 for six, Suryakumar produced a masterclass in counter-attacking batting to haul his side to a competitive 161 for nine.

A veteran of many battles at his home ground, Suryakumar combined patience with calculated aggression, soaking up pressure before launching a late assault on a disciplined USA bowling attack. Dropped on 15, the Indian captain made the most of the reprieve, striking 10 fours and four sixes in his 49-ball knock to rescue India from a position of real peril.

India were still wobbling at 128 for seven after 18 overs, but Suryakumar’s late flourish ensured they crossed the 160-mark, which proved beyond USA’s reach.

In reply, the USA were restricted to 132 for eight, never quite recovering from an early collapse triggered by Siraj, who replaced an indisposed Jasprit Bumrah after joining the squad late on Friday night.

Bowling a fuller length reminiscent of red-ball cricket, Siraj ripped through the top order to finish with figures of 3 for 29 from four overs. Once USA slipped to 13 for three inside the fourth over, the chase was effectively derailed.

Siraj removed openers Andries Gous (6) and Saiteja Mukkamalla (2), while Arshdeep Singh (2/18) sent skipper Monank Patel back for a duck. Though USA stitched together a few partnerships thereafter, they were never truly back in the contest.

Milind Kumar (34), Sanjay Krishnamurthi (37) and Shubham Ranjane (37) offered some resistance, but their efforts only reduced the margin of defeat. Varun Chakravarthy (1/24) and Axar Patel (2/24) tightened the screws in the middle overs, conceding just 48 runs and picking up three wickets in the eight overs following the Powerplay.

Earlier, India’s innings had begun on a nervy note as they failed to score off the first four deliveries. Abhishek Sharma departed for a first-ball duck in the second over, and despite Ishan Kishan (20) briefly injecting momentum, wickets continued to tumble.

Tilak Varma (25) showed promise with a few fluent strokes but fell attempting an aggressive pull, while Shivam Dube (0), Rinku Singh (6), Hardik Pandya (5) and Axar Patel (14) all perished cheaply as India’s vaunted batting line-up unravelled.

South Africa-born Shadley van Schalkwyk led USA’s bowling effort with impressive figures of 4 for 25, exploiting the conditions smartly as India flirted with the prospect of an under-par total.

Left alone to rebuild yet again, Suryakumar farmed the strike expertly and waited for the bowlers to err. Fully attuned to the nature of the wicket, he finally cut loose in the last two overs, collecting 34 runs, including 21 off the final over bowled by Saurabh Netravalkar.

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In the end, Suryakumar’s calm authority and Siraj’s early burst ensured India began their title defence with a victory, albeit after a stern examination from a spirited USA side.