Sachin Tendulkar lauds Suryakumar's match-winning knock in India's T20 WC opener, calls USA's performance "promising"

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], February 8 (ANI): Legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar praised Team India's 29-run victory against the United States of America in both teams' ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 campaign opener at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium on Saturday. While Sachin lauded Suryakumar Yadav's match-defining inning, he also credited the USA for their energy and enthusiasm against the defending champions, India.
Team India registered a hard-fought victory against the USA to kick their T20 World Cup title defence off on a positive note. While the USA lost the match by 29 runs, they did not give in and gave Suryakumar Yadav and co. a proper fight.
Batting first, Suryakumar Yadav's brilliant 84 off 49 balls proved to be the decisive factor between the two teams. He was the only player to score a half-century in the match, rescuing India from a precarious 77/6 and guiding them to a total of 161/9 in their 20 overs.
In an X post, Sachin Tendulkar praised Team India's calm finish after a tense start, applauding USA's spirited performance. He highlighted Suryakumar Yadav's composure under pressure and congratulated India on starting the World Cup with a victory.
Sachin Tendulkar said in his post, "A tense start, but a calm finish for Team India. When new teams step up to the occasion, cricket's global rise accelerates - @usacricket did that yesterday, and their energy and enthusiasm was promising! They came close to giving us some nervous moments, but @surya_14kumar's experience and composure under pressure guided India to a respectable total. Our bowlers did the rest for us. Well done Team India, always good to start on a winning note!"

A tense start, but a calm finish for Team India.🇮🇳

When new teams step up to the occasion, cricket’s global rise accelerates - @usacricket did that yesterday, and their energy and enthusiasm was promising!

They came close to giving us some nervous moments, but @surya_14kumar’s…

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) February 8, 2026

After being asked to bat first, the Men in Blue scored 161/9 in 20 overs against the USA. Suryakumar Yadav played an unbeaten knock of 84 off 49 deliveries, with 10 fours and four sixes. Wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan (20 off 16 balls, with one four and two sixes) and Tilak Varma (25 off 16 balls, with three fours and one six) also chipped in with the bat.
For the USA, Shadley van Schalkwyk (4/29) and Harmeet Singh (2/26) were among the wicket-takers.
In response, the USA were restricted to 132/8 as they lost the match by 29 runs. Milind Kumar (34 off 34 balls, with four boundaries), Sanjay Krishnamurthi (37 off 31 balls, with two sixes and one four) and Shubham Ranjane (37 off 22 balls, with two fours and three sixes) played fighting knocks for their side.
For India, Mohammed Siraj (3/29), Axar Patel (2/24), and Arshdeep Singh (2/18) picked wickets. (ANI)