Suryakumar Yadav candidly confirms Harshit Rana's No. 8 replacement in T20 World Cup

SKY announces Harshit Rana replacement [Source: X]India had everything go wrong in the USA encounter for their inaugural clash at the T20 World Cup 2026. However, skipper Suryakumar Yadav held the ship in place with some late partnerships which had Arshdeep Singh going for a boundary as well. The partnership of 22 runs between the two, off just 14 deliveries, was a moment to celebrate for Arshdeep Singh who later recorded a candid interaction with Suryakumar on his hilarious Instagram reel as SKY admitted that Arshdeep has ‘earned’ Harshit Rana’s place at No. 8. The ominous start and SKY to the rescue India had a very poor start after the USA opted to bowl first at the Wankhede Stadium on February 7. India began their innings with Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma opening the batting. However, right from the very first over bowled by Saurabh Netravalkar, Ishan Kishan looked uncomfortable and struggled to time the ball, appearing desperate to get some hits away. In the next over, Abhishek Sharma got the strike but was dismissed for a golden duck by Ali Khan. This brought Tilak Varma in at number three. After Ishan Kishan’s dismissal for 20 runs, Suryakumar Yadav walked in and went on to play an unbeaten knock of 84 runs from 49 deliveries, which lifted India’s chances against the USA. After multiple wickets tumbled, with Suryakumar Yadav intact on the other side, Arshdeep Singh came into bat at No. 8 after Axar Patel’s dismissal. While standing alongside SKY, Arshdeep hit a boundary, which later became fodder for his viral reel. Suryakumar Yadav responds hilariously to Arshdeep’s question While travelling with Suryakumar Yadav in the team bus, Arshdeep flipped open his mobile camera to ask him candidly, “Paaji, well played ho gaya, partnership kaisi rahi humari?” Suryakumar Yadav: “The partnership was absolutely solid, I really enjoyed it. It gave me a lot of motivation.” Arshdeep: “My contribution was a bit less.” Suryakumar Yadav: “No, you contributed a lot.” Arshdeep: “The intent I showed as soon as I came in really put them under pressure. They got nervous thinking that if I’m hitting like this, then you would hit even harder.”Suryakumar Yadav replied: “Han apne jo wo chauka mara wohi se pura game change ho gaya. Apne earn kar liya batting No. 8 ka spot. (Yes, that four you hit completely changed the game from there. You’ve earned yourself the number 8 batting spot.)”Punjab Kings @PunjabKingsIPL Pata hain hum match kahan jeete? 😂 #INDvUSA #T20WorldCup Feb 8, 2026, 12:45 AM What does ‘earning’ the No. 8 spot mean?The reference, though made in a light-hearted conversation, left a deeper impact in the sense that Harshit Rana, who was ruled out of the entirety of the T20 World Cup, was effectively replaced by Arshdeep Singh, considering the fact that Harshit had recently switched up his game to become a decent hitter of the ball. SKY laughing at Arshdeep’s intent with the bat was meant as a joke, since Arshdeep only hit a boundary from six deliveries and was dismissed later. However, it is also a fact that Arshdeep Singh made it to the Playing XI alongside Mohammed Siraj because of the benching of Harshit Rana and Jasprit Bumrah.