‘Unbelievable Under Pressure’: Gautam Gambhir Hails Suryakumar Yadav’s ‘Masterclass’

India head coach Gautam Gambhir lauded T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav’s batting after the defending champions opened their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign with a hard-fought 29-run win over the USA at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday.

In a video released by the Indian Cricket Team on Instagram, Gambhir praised Suryakumar’s effort in emphatic terms. “Guys, good result today. (On Suryakumar Yadav's batting) To start with, that was a masterclass. That was outstanding. I've seen in T20 cricket, especially under pressure, the situation we were in; I thought it was unbelievable,” Gambhir said.

Suryakumar later revealed that a message from Gambhir during the drinks break proved crucial. The break after 14 overs saw Gambhir walk out to the middle alongside Sanju Samson, and cameras captured the former India opener speaking briefly with his captain.

“I always felt that there was a need for a batter to bat till the end. I never felt that it was a 180–190 wicket. I felt it was a 140 wicket. But then Gauti bhai told me the same thing during the break after 14 overs. He told me, ‘Just try and bat till the end; you can cover it any time’," Suryakumar said at the post-match presentation.

He also underlined his familiarity with the conditions. “And also, the most important thing is that I have played a lot of my cricket in Bombay, on this wicket and on the maidans of Mumbai cricket. So I know how to bat on similar kinds of wickets,” he added.

From expectations of 300 to survival mode at Wankhede

India were made to work for the result despite expectations of a run fest at the venue. Before the match, talk around the ground centred on scores of 300, and the crowd roared when USA captain Monank Patel won the toss and opted to bowl, anticipating an onslaught from Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan.

Instead, the contest quickly took a different turn. Ali Khan dismissed Abhishek for a duck in the second over, and the USA bowlers tightened the screws.

India slipped to 77/6 in the 13th over, leaving Suryakumar Yadav to anchor the innings.

Suryakumar responded with a match-defining unbeaten 84 off 49 balls, the only half-century of the game.

His knock included 10 fours and four sixes and lifted India to 161/9 in 20 overs. Ishan Kishan scored 20 off 16 balls with one four and two sixes, while Tilak Varma added 25 off 16 balls with three fours and one six.

For the USA, Shadley van Schalkwyk returned figures of 4/29 and Harmeet Singh picked up 2/26.

Suryakumar Calls USA game a Wake-Up Call

Suryakumar’s innings included a dominant passage against Saurabh Netravalkar, who conceded 65 runs in his four overs, with the bulk of the damage inflicted by the Indian captain.

Reflecting on the match outcome, Suryakumar said he was pleased with the result despite what he described as a wake-up call.

“Very, very happy with the way things went, though it was a little bit of a scare and hiccup for the first game, but then it was a good eye-opener for me and all the boys and the support staff. It's part of the game, but we had to show character on the field, and I've played in similar situations before, so I knew that me staying there was very important for the side. I understand that it was a little difficult wicket to bat on. We've not played on such wickets before. But yeah, at the same time, we can't brush it under the carpet. We have to understand how we could have batted. We could have applied it a little better, but then at the end of the day, it's part of the game,” he said in the video.

Chasing 162, the USA were restricted to 132/8. Milind Kumar scored 34 off 34 balls with four boundaries, Sanjay Krishnamurthi made 37 off 31 balls with two sixes and one four, and Shubham Ranjane struck 37 off 22 balls with two fours and three sixes.

India’s bowlers shared the spoils, with Mohammed Siraj returning 3/29, Axar Patel taking 2/24, and Arshdeep Singh finishing with 2/18.

After the win, Suryakumar also provided updates on Washington Sundar and Jasprit Bumrah.

Bumrah missed the match due to illness, while Sundar is recovering from an injury.

“Washi is joining us in Delhi. He's good. Everything is fine. Bumrah had a high fever due to the weather, like Abhishek. But rest, everything is good,” Suryakumar said, confirming that Sundar will link up with the squad in Delhi ahead of the game against Namibia on February 12.

(With inputs from ANI)