Rohit Sharma to Suryakumar Yadav, Mumbaikars have a daunting aura about them at the Wankhede.
The former T20 World Cup-winning captain drew the loudest cheer when he made an appearance during the inaugural ceremony on Saturday. Three hours later, it was his successor who was the toast of the crowd as his 84 not out off 49 balls had pulled India out of a hole.
USA found the going tough on a tricky surface where the ball gripped in the early stages but the Indians never allowed the dew to play havoc. The visitors finally fell short of the target by 29 runs in their pursuit of 162.
Captain’s innings
A month before the tournament, Surya’s place in the side was in doubt. His lean phase had crossed all permissible limits prompting a national debate on whether he was the right person to lead the challenge in India’s title defence.
Even Rohit stressed the importance of Surya’s return to form. “If Surya doesn’t play well, the batting line-up suffers,” he said.
The series against New Zealand benefited Surya as he showed glimpses of his old self. On Saturday, the circumstances were ideal for him once the side was reduced to 77/6 in the 13th over. If the rest of the batters fell victim to opening-match jitters, Surya wasn’t falling into the trap.
Even as wickets tumbled at the other end, Surya, or simply ‘SKY’ to friends and fans, remained unaffected by the
turn of events. Shubham Ranjane dropped a chance and he literally pounced on the opportunity.
The others faltered going for the strokes early on a somewhat sticky pitch, but skipper Surya took time to settle down. He then displayed his 360-degree style, using the scoop, paddle and ramp to manipulate the field behind square. He often ended up taking a tumble in the process but the crowd loved it.
Surya launched into Saurabh Netravalkar with 19 runs off the final over. Perhaps Shadley Claude van Schalkwyk, USA’s most successful bowler with four wickets, was only spared the onslaught.
“Only I know how much pressure I was feeling, but I had the belief. I knew if I bat till the end, I can make a difference,” Surya said.
The India captain didn’t wish to hide the batters’ failures in the light of the victory.
“We cannot brush everything under the carpet, we need to bat much better. After winning also, you get to learn a lot of things. We could have batted better and smarter. One or two partnerships could have done us a world of good,” he said.
Siraj show
Till Thursday evening, Mohammed Siraj never imagined he would be a part of the squad in yet another World Cup at home. The pacer was preparing to leave for a break to watch Real Madrid play in the La Liga on completion of Hyderabad’s Ranji Trophy commitments.
When Surya called to inform him of his call-up to the team, Siraj almost dismissed it as a joke. Harshit Rana’s sudden injury had opened the doors and then Jasprit Bumrah’s viral, which kept him out of India’s opener, ensured Siraj’s entry into the playing XI.
It all seemed like a dream as he played a T20I after 19 months. “It seemed like a dream. But what is written in destiny will happen. God is great,” he said on Saturday.
Two wickets in his first two overs gave India a solid start and despite heroics from Sanjay Krishnamurthi and Milind Kumar, USA never looked like being able to pull off an upset.