T20 World Cup 2026: Indian batters falter big time in powerplay as USA take control

India endured a disastrous start with the bat during their T20 World Cup 2026 opener against the United States of America on February 7 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The defending champions were reduced to 48/4 at the end of the powerplay, as disciplined bowling from the USA put the Men in Blue under early pressure.

USA captain Monank Patel won the toss and opted to field first. India opened the innings with Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma, but the partnership was short-lived. After a positive start that included a six, Abhishek was dismissed for a duck on the first ball he faced in the second over. Ali Khan induced a mistimed shot, with Sanjay Krishnamurthi completing the catch at deep cover.

Ishan then attempted to stabilise the innings alongside Tilak Varma, and the duo added 37 runs for the second wicket. However, just as India looked to regain momentum, Shadley van Schalkwyk delivered a game-changing final over of the powerplay.

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Van Schalkwyk struck on the second ball of the sixth over, dismissing Ishan, who was caught by Milind Kumar at mid-off. Three deliveries later, Tilak fell while attempting a pull shot, only to mistime it straight to Monank, who took a comfortable catch inside the circle. The final ball of the over brought further misery for India as Shivam Dube was dismissed off a slower short-of-a-length delivery.

Dube was early into his pull shot and, in trying to adjust, ended up top-edging the ball. Saurabh Netravalkar, stationed at short fine leg, showed excellent awareness to take a sharp overhead catch. The USA players erupted in celebration, while the Indian dugout cut a dejected picture as the hosts slumped to 48/4 after six overs.

India were forced into a recovery mode after the poor start. In terms of team, Mohammed Siraj returned to the XI, replacing Harshit Rana due to injury. Jasprit Bumrah missed the match because of a viral fever, while Sanju Samson, Kuldeep Yadav, and Washington Sundar remained on the bench. India entered the contest as the defending champions and will be keen to regroup after a shaky powerplay performance.