Mumbai, Feb 7 (NationPress) Captain Suryakumar Yadav showcased his leadership with a remarkable unbeaten score of 84, aiding India in recovering from a daunting 77/6 to achieve a competitive total of 161/9 against the USA in their first match of Group A in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday.

After his team chose to bowl first, Shadley van Schalkwyk capitalized on the challenging conditions of the Wankhede pitch that was gripping and holding the ball. However, Suryakumar Yadav demonstrated to his bowlers how to navigate such a wicket by striking 10 fours and 4 sixes in his 49-ball innings, helping the defending champions set a commendable total.

India managed 46/4 in the Power-play, followed by 69/2 in the middle overs, and finished with 46/3 in the death overs against some impressive bowling from the Americans, who unfortunately dropped at least five catches.

Earlier, van Schalkwyk's three-wicket strike disrupted India as the hosts stumbled to 46/4 at the end of the six-over mandatory Power-play. He initiated the collapse after Ali Khan dismissed the explosive opener Abhishek Sharma for a golden duck, achieving figures of 3-13 in his first three overs.

Van Schalkwyk ignited the downfall when he dismissed Ishan Kishan (20, 16b, 1x4, 2x6) with a slower ball in the sixth over and caught Tilak Varma (25, 16b, 3x4, 1x6) out with a short ball that posed a challenge, resulting in a midwicket catch. Shivam Dube followed suit on the next delivery, caught off a slower short ball, leading India to 46/4.

The right-arm medium pacer, of South African descent, delivered with precision, keeping the ball just short, and wasn’t hesitant to attack, making the most of the early Wankhede conditions.

It could have been even worse for the two-time champions, as USA's fielders missed four catches. Both Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma survived, as did Suryakumar Yadav, who was dropped by his former Mumbai teammate Shubham Ranjane off his own bowling. Unfortunately for India, they failed to take advantage of the careless fielding, as the effective bowling led to their dismissals while attempting unnecessary shots. The pressure mounted, leaving India without a boundary for four consecutive overs within the Power-play.

SKY broke the deadlock with a boundary and kept the Indian hopes alive with measured batting. However, the situation worsened as Rinku Singh (6 off 14) and Hardik Pandya (5 off 6) fell quickly, both trying to launch the spinners over the boundary -- Rinku fell while attempting a full delivery from Mohammad Mohsin, while Pandya sliced a short one outside off for an easy catch.

Suryakumar and his partner Axar Patel steadied the ship, building a partnership that elevated the team to a competitive score. They scored 21 runs off the 16th over bowled by Saurabh Netravalkar, with Patel smashing the first two balls for remarkable boundaries and Suryakumar concluding the most expensive over with a four and a six.

Their partnership of 41 runs off 24 balls concluded when Axar fell for 14 after attempting to hit a back-of-length delivery outside off from Harmeet Singh that spun back and cramped him.

Suryakumar reached his fifty off 36 balls (7x4, 1x6) with a four off Ranjane, then unleashed on Netravalkar in the final over, scoring two fours and two sixes for 21 runs, showcasing his ability to scoop, lap, and loft the ball effortlessly as India secured a defendable total.

Brief scores: India 161/9 in 20 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 84 not out, Tilak Varma 25; Shadley van Schalkwyk 4-25, Harmeet Singh 2-26) against the USA.