Intro
India recover from early collapse as Suryakumar Yadav steers hosts to victory
Mumbai
India vice-captain Axar Patel admitted the team was taken aback by the nature of the pitch at the usually high-scoring Wankhede Stadium after the hosts suffered a top-order collapse in their T20 World Cup opener against the USA.
Put in to bat, India found themselves in deep trouble at 77/6 as the Mumbai surface showed unexpected grip and uneven bounce. However, skipper Suryakumar Yadav’s sublime unbeaten 84 off 49 balls rescued the innings and carried India to a competitive 161/9, a total that proved well beyond the USA, who were restricted to 132/8, handing the hosts a 29-run win.
Speaking after the match, Axar said the team needed a few overs to reassess conditions. “Generally, the wicket in Mumbai is flat. We took about three overs to determine what would be a good score,” he said, adding that the dressing room remained calm despite the collapse.
“The confidence in the group is such that we knew even if one batter gets going, we could reach around 140-150. The wicket was behaving differently, and that surprised us,” Axar said.
The all-rounder acknowledged there was some pressure in the camp, especially given India’s history of early batting failures in major tournaments. “Obviously, you feel that. But it’s good that it happened in the first match. Now we have a better understanding of the wicket,” he said.
Axar stressed the importance of adapting shot selection to conditions while maintaining an attacking mindset. “You have to change your style looking at the wicket, but still play positive cricket. You can’t just defend or look for singles,” he explained.
Revealing his partnership plan with Suryakumar, Axar said the idea was to bat deep. “We had no batters left. We wanted to stick around for two or three overs and then accelerate,” he said.
Praising the captain, Axar added that Suryakumar’s form and clarity stood out. “The player he is, once he gets going, you know what can happen. He showed that in a big match today.”