US President Donald Trump wished Team USA all the best as the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup kicked off in India and Sri Lanka.
Writing on Truth Social, Trump said: “I just heard the Cricket World Cup is going on in India! Good luck to TEAM USA! We have a very strong team. America is rooting for you!”
USA is participating in its second T20 World Cup, having lost in 2024.
Opening Match: India Vs
Team USA played their opening game against defending champions India at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on February 7. India batted first and scored 161/9 in 20 overs.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav played an unbeaten 84 off 49 balls while wicketkeeper batsman Ishan Kishan contributed 20 off 16 and Tilak Varma added 25 off 16.
Top wicket takers for USA were Shadley van Schalkwyk (4/29) and Harmeet Singh (2/26).
The US is lagging behind
In response, USA managed 132/8 to lose by 29 runs. Top performances included:
Milind Kumar: 34 off 34 balls
Sanjay Krishnamurthi: 37 off 31 balls, including two sixes
Shubham Ranjane: 37 off 22 balls, three sixes
Indian bowlers Mohammed Siraj (3/29), Axar Patel (2/24) and Arshdeep Singh (2/18) played a key role in restricting USA.
“We fought hard but fell short against a very strong Indian side,” said Monank Patel, USA captain.
Next match: USA vs Pakistan
After the opening loss, Team USA will travel to Sri Lanka on February 10 to face Pakistan, who they defeated in the 2024 T20 World Cup.
“We are confident going into the next match and we want to bounce back against Pakistan,” added Patel.
Team USA Lineup:
Monank Patel (captain), Jessy Singh, Andries Gous, Shehan Jayasuriya, Milind Kumar, Shayan Jahangir, Saiteja Mukkamala, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Harmeet Singh, Nosthush Kenjige, Shadley Van Schalkwyk, Saurabh Netravalkar, Motravalkar, Shubain. Alihan