India vs USA T20 World Cup 2026: The scoreboard at the Wankhede Stadium read a deceptive 161 for 9. However, the cricket world will be talking about India’s batting collapse throughout the group stages. Suryakumar Yadav’s 84 saved some face, but the top and middle order looked shaky. They nearly blew it for the defending champions on home soil. The team management will need to fix these tactical blunders before the big game against Pakistan.
5 Mistakes That Team India’s Batting Order Committed In India Vs USA T20 World Cup 2026 Match
1. Reckless Aggression in the Powerplay
Abhishek Sharma’s dismissal for a duck set a panicky tone. The batters who followed him just couldn’t show restraint. The openers failed to read the pitch and tried to smash the new ball from the first delivery. They completely ignored the early swing Ali Khan was getting.
This rush to score cost India big time. Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma showed some spark but threw it away trying to force the run rate. The team stumbled to 46 for 4 within the first six overs. A smarter start would have saved wickets for the end of the innings.
2. The Van Schalkwyk Implosion
The team went after Shadley van Schalkwyk without figuring out his variations first. That move backfired. The medium-pacer grabbed three wickets in one over. He tore through India’s middle order with slower balls and cutters.
Kishan and Varma got out to poor shots, but the real issue was the panic that followed. Batters were lining up to hit boundaries instead of just rotating the strike. They turned a simple rebuilding job into a walk to the pavilion.
3. Shivam Dube’s First-Ball Duck
The plan to send in Shivam Dube to handle the medium pace made sense on paper, but he didn’t deliver. Dube needed to be careful when facing a hat-trick ball or coming in right after two quick wickets.
Instead, he poked at a ball he should have left alone. He gave away an easy catch to short fine leg. This golden duck left the lower order exposed too early. It also put a massive amount of pressure on Suryakumar Yadav.
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4. Misreading Harmeet Singh’s Spin
Hardik Pandya’s dismissal to Harmeet Singh showed an old problem. India struggled yet again against left-arm spin. With the team in trouble, Pandya needed to stay at the crease.
Instead, he tried to take on the spinner too soon. He mistimed a big shot and got caught. This mistake killed a growing partnership. It forced Axar Patel to play strictly defensively, which slowed down the scoring even more during the middle overs.
ALSO READ: IND vs USA T20 World Cup 2026: How USA Planned To Dismiss In Form Abhishek Sharma?
5. Over-Reliance on Individual Brilliance
The whole batting plan seemed to depend on one person. India might have been bowled out for under 120 if Suryakumar Yadav hadn’t played that brilliant knock. The fact that the rest of the top seven didn’t step up is a huge concern. Depending only on the captain to fix the mess the team created isn’t going to work. You can’t win a major tournament like this without the whole team chipping in.
