India did not have an easy outing against the USA in their opening match but managed to edge past their rivals with a 29-run win in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. The hosts famed batting line-up fared badly and but for skipper Suryakumar Yadav’s knock, they would have been in far greater trouble.
However, former India player and coach Sanjay Bangar feels one should not read much into that performance and the team too should not be bothered too much about that match. It was a one-off thing which could have happened with any big team.
Bangar said that the Indian batters don’t need to overthink their approach after their match against the USA. “I don’t think Indian batters should over analyse what happened at the Wankhede against the USA, because the approach this Indian batting line-up plays with nowadays in T20 cricket is obviously fraught with risk. On days like that, when a couple of wickets fall, and you still want to keep going hard, you are bound to lose wickets in clusters. If there is one learning, it is to maybe slow down slightly, but not have too much of a doubt in your approach, because that fearless style has given you a lot of success. Keep backing your abilities and keep playing the way this Indian batting unit has approached T20 cricket over the last 18 months or so,” Bangar said on JioStar’s Follow the Blues show.
“When I look at this Indian batting line-up, it has a great mix of maturity as well as fearlessness. Now, in terms of maturity, you have players who can adjust to the needs of the situation. Tilak Varma bats in that fashion, as do Surya and Hardik. So, if India find themselves in a similar position again, the onus may be on one of those three to steady the innings a little bit, while the batters around them continue to play the way they have been playing. That is something the team and the batting group might discuss going forward,” the former Railways player said.
Regarding Washington Sundar’s improved fitness and possible changes in the playing XI for the game, Bangar said: “It’s great news that Washington Sundar is going to join the team, because the Indian management has been patient with him and has a lot of confidence in his abilities. The fact that they persisted with him in the squad despite his unavailability at the start of the tournament shows they want to maintain a similar team combination. If, say for instance, a spin-bowling all-rounder is required, Washington Sundar can certainly come in. But I don’t see him playing in Delhi. I certainly see Jasprit Bumrah making it to the playing eleven, with the in-form Mohammed Siraj the one likely to miss out.”
Another former India player and spinner Piyush Chawla admitted that dew will be a huge factor in Delhi. “Dew will be a big factor because Delhi is a bit cooler at the moment, and it definitely plays a big role in evening games. The captain who wins the toss will likely opt to bowl first, because as the game progresses, the dew will set in, making batting easier and conditions more difficult for the bowling unit.”
