The 2026 T20 World Cup is well and truly underway with almost all the teams having played their opening fixtures. Hosts India started their campaign with a Group A clash against the United States on Sunday at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai. The Men in Blue somehow managed to dodge the bullet against the USA and prevented an upset in their opening fixture. The USA bowlers came out all guns blazing in the first innings and destroyed the Indian batting lineup as if they knew everything about them. Indian batters remained clueless and gave away their wickets one after the other until Suryakumar Yadav decided to take matters in his own hands. The skipper did not just prevent India from facing humiliation, he also guided his side to a match winning total single-handedly. Gautam Gambhir speaks up
Following India's hard fought win in their opening match, head coach Gautam Gambhir filed an official complaint with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) expressing his concerns with the pitch that was used against the USA at the Wankhede Stadium. Gambhir told the BCCI that the pitch was more helpful for the USA than for India and how it forced his side’s entire gameplan out of the window.
The surface did not have much to offer for Gambhir’s batting lineup while the USA bowlers made the most out of it. The ball was not coming onto the bat like a typical Wankhede wicket and caused a lot of problems for Gambhir’s batting unit. Meanwhile, the visitors’s bowling unit produced a magical performance and cleanup up India’s top and middle order within the first six overs.
It is believed that the pitch did not allow India to go all in with their natural aggressive approach and therefore the teams struggled so much during the early overs. The BCCI is yet to make a comment on the same and it remains to be seen what is the outcome of this complaint. However, India will now shift their focus to their next group stage fixture against Namibia on Thursday.
