Suryakumar Yadav dragged India out of serious trouble as the T20 World Cup co-hosts avoided a huge embarrassment by beating the United States by 29 runs in Mumbai.
Sent in to bat, the defending champions and overwhelming favourites found themselves in deep trouble at 77-6, staring down the possibility of one of the greatest shocks cricket has ever seen.
That threat eased when the USA dropped Suryakumar on 15, with bowler Shubham Ranjane spilling a low chance in his follow-through. It proved a decisive moment.
India’s captain made the Americans pay in emphatic fashion, compiling a superb 84 not out from 49 balls.
After rebuilding cautiously, Suryakumar shifted gears with a series of inventive scoops and flicks to lift India to a competitive 161-9.
Any momentum the underdogs hoped to build was quickly snuffed out with the ball. Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj ripped through the top order, claiming three wickets inside the opening four overs to leave the USA reeling at 13-3.
With the required rate climbing rapidly, the chase never truly gathered pace and the Americans eventually closed on 132-8 from their 20 overs, falling short without mounting a sustained challenge.
The result sees India set the early pace in Group A, following an entertaining opening day in which the Netherlands went close against Pakistan and Scotland briefly threatened West Indies.
