Gautam Gambhir [Source: X.com]India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir heaped praise on Suryakumar Yadav after his brilliant unbeaten knock of 84 runs against the USA in the 2026 T20 World Cup. Gambhir described the innings as a “masterclass” and called it one of the finest T20I knocks ever played under pressure. Thanks to this performance, India managed to begin their World Cup campaign on a positive and confident note.Gautam Gambhir lauds Suryakumar Yadav after heroic 84 vs USAMoreover, Suryakumar Yadav, who is also the team captain, led from the front when the team needed him the most. Alongside his batting heroics, India also produced an excellent bowling performance. Mohammad Siraj was the standout bowler, picking up three wickets for just 29 runs. As a result, India defeated the USA by 29 runs and secured an important early victory in the tournament. Speaking after the match, Gautam Gambhir expressed his happiness with the result and especially with Suryakumar’s effort.“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 in a video.Suryakumar Yadav rescues India from collapseIndia found themselves in serious trouble at 77 runs for the loss of six wickets. At this stage, Suryakumar Yadav and Axar Patel came together and built a crucial partnership of 41 runs for the seventh wicket. This stand helped stabilise the innings and brought India back into the game.After that, Suryakumar showed his trademark 360-degree batting style and powerful hitting. In the final over, he smashed two sixes and two fours, which helped India reach a fighting total of 161 for 9 in 20 overs. Later, India’s bowlers backed up the total well. Siraj took three wickets, while Arshdeep Singh and Axar Patel picked up two wickets each. Consequently, the USA were restricted to 132 for 8, and India sealed a comfortable 29-run win.Gautam Gambhir’s message that made the differenceAfter the match, Suryakumar revealed an important moment that happened during the drinks break while India were batting. During this break, Gautam Gambhir walked onto the field with Sanju Samson and had a short conversation with Suryakumar. That message, according to the captain, proved to be very helpful.“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 further added that his experience of playing cricket in Mumbai helped him understand how to bat on such pitches. Notably, his innings included 10 boundaries and 4 sixes, with most of the damage done against USA bowler Saurabh Netravalkar, who gave away 65 runs in four overs.Meanwhile, India will now turn their focus to their second match of the tournament. They are set to face Namibia at the Arun Jaitely Stadium in Delhi on February 12, hoping to continue their winning momentum.
