'It was one of the best T20I innings played': India coach Gautam Gambhir praises Suryakumar Yadav's 'masterclass' vs USA in T20 WC

India head coach Gautam Gambhir showered immense praise on captain Suryakumar Yadav for playing a majestic knock on Thursday against the USA in the side's T20 World Cup 2026 opener. Surya's unbeaten innings of 84* runs bailed India out of an anxious situation and navigated the team to reach a competitive total of 161/9 in 20 overs. Defending a par total, pacer Mohammed Siraj provided much-needed early breakthroughs, and from there India controlled the tempo of the game and eventually secured a 29-run victory to start the tournament on a winning note.

Following the culmination of the match, coach Gambhir addressed the team and expressed his views on the match-winning performance from Surya, labelling it as one of the finest knocks played under pressure.

"It was a good result to start with, and Surya - that was a masterclass, outstanding. It was one of the best T20I innings played under pressure," Gambhir said to BCCI.tv.

Victory is special, but also an eye-opener

Speaking about India's wobbly win, SKY stated that extracting such a victory is special, but at the same time, it has marked the areas where work needs to be done.

"It's a very, very special feeling to win after a few scares and hiccups, but it's also an eye-opener for the boys and the support staff. I've played in similar situations before, so I knew that staying there for my side was crucial."

The captain admitted that India struggled to adjust to challenging batting conditions, stressing the importance of honest assessment rather than overlooking shortcomings despite the win.

"I understand it was a difficult wicket to bat on, and we are not used to conditions like these. But at the same time, you can't brush everything under the carpet. We have to understand how we could have batted better. At the end of the day, you learn and move on."

Speaking about leading the side at his home ground, the captain described the experience of captaining India at the Wankhede Stadium as special, crediting the crowd for creating a vibrant atmosphere.

"It's always special to play at the Wankhede, and I knew that when I walked out as captain of this team, it would be buzzing - and the crowd didn't disappoint."

After this win, India will now move to Delhi, where they will take on Namibia in their second Group A encounter on Thursday, February 12, 2026.