With defending champions India set to begin their T20 World Cup campaign against a spirited USA team at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai today, the focus will be on the playing XI.
Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is likely to be rested because of a viral fever, reports said. He was present at the training yesterday, but did not take part in the practice session. Mohammed Siraj, who was included in the squad at the last minute as a replacement for the injured Harshit Rana, is set to replace Bumrah in the playing XI.
The co-hosts may not have veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from their 2024 title-winning squad in their ranks this time but the world's number one team has been on a roll, winning nine series and clinching the Asia Cup last year.
The team's lineup also looks complete and incredibly tough to stop. Captain Suryakumar Yadav has found his form again after a difficult 2025 season. Add to this the reliability of Tilak Varma in the middle order, and a strong group of all-rounders comprising Hardik Pandya, vice-captain Axar Patel and Shivam Dube, and Rinku Singh as the finisher.
Ishan Kishan vs Sanju Samson debate
The only toss-up in the batting lineup is between Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson for the opening slot. The former has made an explosive comeback after being away from the T20I setup for two years. Kishan was the standout performer in the New Zealand series, scoring 215 runs in four matches at a staggering strike rate of 231.18. This included a maiden T20I century (103 off 43 balls) in Thiruvananthapuram. He followed this with a blistering 53 off 20 balls in the World Cup warm-up match against South Africa on February 4.
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Samson, on the other hand, managed only 46 runs in five innings at a dismal average of 9.20 in the New Zealand series. His repeated failures at the top of the order at a time when Kishan is going great guns, has definitely tilted the scale in the latter’s favour. If selected, Kishan will open the innings with the aggressive Abhishek Sharma.
On the bowling front, Siraj will join the consistent Arshdeep Singh with the new ball. In the spin department, India boasts two of the world's best T20 spinners, Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy. But, the dew will be a challenge for them.
Interestingly, India have only 13 fit players in their squad at the moment as injured all-rounder Washington Sundar is yet to join. He is present at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, awaiting final fitness clearance.
Meanwhile, USA will be looking to build on their success from the last T20 World Cup, where they reached the Super Eight stage and famously beat former champions Pakistan. The team is in good form, having won eight of their last nine matches. Also, they prepared for this World Cup with a three-week training camp in Sri Lanka.
Captain Monank Patel has been leading by example with the bat, supported by players like Saiteja Mukkamalla and Milind Kumar. The bowling attack will rely heavily on the experience of Saurabh Netravalkar, Harmeet Singh and Shubham Ranjane.