After a hazy start, Captain Suryakumar Yadav allowed the sunlight the team needed the most. Perhaps the pitch of the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, where India locked horns with the USA cricket team for the third match of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2026, also needed some more sunlight to be better for batting.
After winning the match over the USA by 29 runs, the India skipper discussed various aspects of the match, as the team was surprisingly on the back foot in the first innings against the USA bowlers. Without Yadav’s unbeaten 84 off 49, the defending champions might not be able to register 161/9 in 20 overs for a winning effort.
Suryakumar Yadav explained why the batters performed poorly
But why did the Indian batting lineup, with so many talented and proven T20 batters, suddenly feel against a lower-ranked team? Suryakumar Yadav did not blame anyone but tried to highlight some areas of the match, including the pitch, where he himself played a lot of cricket.
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In the post-match presentation, the victorious captain explained that he played plenty of cricket in various grounds of Mumbai, including the Wankhede Stadium. But during the match against the USA, the deck was acting differently; even Yadav himself, the local batter, took some time to understand the nature of the surface.
“I had that belief that I have batted in similar situations. And also when I have played my lot of cricket here in the Maidans of Mumbai cricket, Azad Maidan, and Cross Maidan. So I knew that if I bat till the end, I can make a difference (on the pitch today). It was a little different wicket from what it always is at Wankhede,” Suryakumar Yadav said.
Doubts over the Wankhede Stadium pitch
He did not blame the pitch curator or the ground staff, but he felt that because of the weather condition, the nature of the pitch was a little bit different. Lack of sunlight in the morning hours might have affected the deck.
“We knew when we woke up in the morning; we saw outside there wasn’t a lot of sun outside. I think the curator and the groundsmen tried their best to prepare the best pitch. But I think a few things are not in their control. So there wasn’t enough sunlight to have that pitch rolled and watered,” the skipper added.
Suryakumar Yadav provided updates on Jasprit Bumrah and Washington Sundar
Before concluding the chat, Suryakumar Yadav provided major updates on Jasprit Bumrah and Washington Sundar, who were not available for the match. He captained and informed us that Sundar is now good and he will be joining the team in Delhi. And Bumrah had a high fever because of the weather.
“Washi is joining us in Delhi. He’s good. Everything is fine. Bumrah, he was having a high fever due to the weather, like how Abhishek was under the weather. But rest; everything is good,” Yadav concluded.
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