The USA captain, Monank Patel, commended his bowlers for their performance but expressed disappointment over the top-order batters’ soft dismissals in a 29-run loss to defending champions India in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup opener. Shadley van Schalkwyk’s 4-25, with an initial burst of 3-13, had India struggling at 77/6, but they rallied as Suryakumar Yadav’s unbeaten 89 off 49 balls propelled them to 161/9 in 20 overs.
Despite a modest target, the USA stumbled early, losing three wickets for 13 runs, before a partial recovery led by Milind Kumar (34) and Sanjay Krishnamurthi (37) saw them at 71 for three. However, their innings crumbled, culminating in a total of 132/8 in 20 overs. Monank acknowledged his bowlers’ efforts in restricting India but lamented missed catches that prevented them from limiting the hosts to around 130.
Monank noted that while chasing 160 was feasible, the failure of the top three batters hindered their pursuit. He emphasized the learnings gained from the match, aiming to leverage them in upcoming games. “The top three could not perform, soft dismissals. The intent was a bit missing because we lost wickets initially. Lots of learning and positives from this game,” he remarked, highlighting the team’s resilience under pressure and their determination to bounce back stronger.
