India began their T20 World Cup 2026 title defence with a hard-fought 29-run win over the United States of America at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on 7 February. The night belonged to Suryakumar Yadav, who not only rescued India with the bat but also broke a long-standing Indian record.
Suryakumar was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten 84 off 49 balls. It was his 17th Player of the Match award in T20 internationals, the most by any Indian, going past Virat Kohli.
Most Player of the Match Awards in T20Is for India
- 17 Suryakumar Yadav (105 T20Is
- 16 Virat Kohli
- 14 Rohit Sharma
- 8 Axar Patel
India’s innings started on a worrying note after being put in to bat. The top order collapsed inside the powerplay, with four wickets falling for just 46 runs. Abhishek Sharma was out for a golden duck, adding to the early pressure.
The situation worsened in the sixth over when Shadley van Schalkwyk ran through the middle order. He removed Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube on consecutive balls, leaving India struggling at 77/6.
From there, Suryakumar took charge. He paced the innings smartly, reached his fifty in 36 balls, and kept India alive with clean hitting and clever placement. His calm presence helped India recover to a fighting position.
The final over turned the game. With India at 140/9, Suryakumar smashed two sixes and two fours off Saurabh Netravalkar, taking 21 runs and lifting the total to 161/9.
The USA chase never fully took off. They were reduced to 31/3 in the powerplay as Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh struck early. USA captain Monank Patel was dismissed for a duck.
A 58-run stand between Milind Kumar and Sanjay Krishnamurthi kept the contest alive for a while. The partnership ended when Varun Chakaravarthy struck.
Axar Patel then sealed the chase with two wickets in two balls in the 16th over. Siraj finished things off with a yorker on the final ball, ending with figures of 3/29.
With this award, Suryakumar now leads the list for most Player of the Match awards for India in T20Is with 17, ahead of Kohli on 16, Rohit Sharma on 14, and Axar on eight. His record-breaking night gave India the perfect start to their World Cup campaign.