Sourav Ganguly reveals why India are clear favourites to win the T20 World Cup 2026: 'Strong team with all the...'

Defending champions India commenced T20 World Cup 2026 campaign with a nervy 29-run victory over USA on Saturday. The batters had a forgetful day at the office, as barring skipper Suryakumar Yadav, no one showed patience at the crease and held out owing to a poor shot selection.

It was a real test of resilience for Suryakumar as India encountered trouble and faced the danger of getting bundled out inside 100. The Indian captain battled the clouds of doom and steadily diffused the danger to give India's total a competitive shape. He went unbeaten at 84*, and on the back of this innings of his, India posted 161/9 in 20 overs. For the USA, Shadley van Schalkwyk (4/29) and Harmeet Singh (2/26) were among the wicket-takers.

In response, the USA were restricted to 132/8 as they lost the match by 29 runs. Milind Kumar (34 off 34 balls, with four boundaries), Sanjay Krishnamurthi (37 off 31 balls, with two sixes and one four) and Shubham Ranjane (37 off 22 balls, with two fours and three sixes) played fighting knocks for their side.

For India, Mohammed Siraj (3/29), Axar Patel (2/24), and Arshdeep Singh (2/18) picked wickets.

Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly on Sunday hailed the Suryakumar Yadav-led side team's balance across all departments, aligning them as favourites to lift the 2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.

"This is a very powerful and strong team with all the balances - bowling, batting, and fielding. As the World Cup goes, they will get better. They are the favourites to win the 2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup," Ganguly told reporters.

Speaking on captain Suryakumar Yadav's performance in India's match against the USA, Ganguly added, "He came in this tournament after scoring a lot of runs. He is a champion T20 player."

Ganguly also talked about the aggressive brand of cricket that India play in T20 cricket and encouraged the team to continue with the same, stating that it is aligned with what the format demands in modern times.

"That's what T20 cricket is — you have to keep hitting. They are very good players and they have been doing this for a long period of time. It will happen."

Having beaten the USA, Team India will move to Delhi now, where they will take on Namibia on Thursday, in their second Group A game of the tournament.