3 lessons India should learnt from IND vs USA clash in T20 World Cup 2026
(Courtesy : BCCI)
India will now face Namibia in the T20 World Cup 2026 on February 12.
India outplayed USA by 29 runs in their first match of the T20 World Cup 2026 on Saturday (February 7) at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The Suryakumar Yadav & Co. struggled at the start after being asked to bat first, railing at 77/6 at one stage.
USA pacer Shadley van Schalkwyk clinched a four-wicket haul and dismantled India‘s batting unit at the start. However, with Surya’s incredible half-century, India managed to pile up a decent total of 161/9. The Men-in-Blue bounced back with a stunning performance in bowling, halting the opposition at 132/8.
Notably, India suffered a shocking batting collapse despite playing against a weaker team like the USA. The encounter taught them some crucial lessons, and below are three of them.
3. Sending Shivam Dube ahead of Hardik Pandya
After India lost two wickets in quick succession in the sixth over, they sent Shivam Dube ahead of Hardik Pandya. However, the left-handed batter suffered a golden duck, adding woes to the batting.
Notably, Dube was sent in to bat at a crucial moment; however, he succumbed to the pressure. Hence, sending him ahead of Pandya completely backfired and India need to allow the latter to bat at his regular number five slot.
2. Rushing and poor shot selection
Instead of analysing the wicket, the Indian batters just looked to attack from the start. As a result, many of them became victims of poor shot selections.
Key batters like Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, and Hardik Pandya lost their wickets by getting caught while trying hit big shots in a hurry. Yadav kept his patience at one end and scored boundaries at the right moments. Hence, Indian batters need to check their shot selections in the upcoming games.
1. Building partnerships
Another area where the Indian batsmen failed against the USA was their ability to build partnerships. The Indian captain was fighting alone at one end, with other batters losing their wicket cheaply.
Despite facing a top-order batting collapse, Rinku Singh and Hardik Pandya focused on hitting big shots rather than supporting Yadav and lost their wickets cheaply. Hence, the batters need to adapt to the situation and build effective partnerships.
Who won the IND vs USA match of the T20 World Cup 2026?
India crushed USA by 29 runs in the match.
Who won the Player of the Match award in the IND vs USA clash?
Suryakumar Yadav won the Player of the Match award in the clash.
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Vikas Singh Derek is a core cricket-lover since childhood and has always followed the sport both in his personal and professional life. He started his school life by watching cricket at home with family. Later, he played cricket on the field at local clubs during college. After his Master's in Journalism from Mumbai, he followed his passion by covering cricket news across various digital media. Since 2015, he has been an aspiring sports journalist and cricket content writer with over 50K+ articles.