India began their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign with a 29-run win over the USA in Mumbai. Captain Suryakumar Yadav spoke about the team’s approach to defending their title and the reasons behind their strong run in T20 cricket over the past 18 months.Suryakumar Yadav expressed confidence about India’s chances in the tournament.

“If you prioritise team goals ahead of personal milestones, more often than not, I feel the team will be in a dominant position. Only we can stop ourselves from overanalysing or slipping into a negative mindset, but I believe this team is fully prepared for the T20 World Cup. I don’t see any reason why we can’t go all the way,” Suryakumar Yadav said on JioStar, as cited by news agency ANI.He also spoke about the need for open communication within the group.“Honesty and freedom of speech are essential to a team sport. It’s important to listen to other players, as they may have insights that could benefit the team. Also, giving everyone the freedom to play their natural game, which has helped them reach this level, is key to maintaining a healthy team atmosphere. Looking at our win percentage over the last one or two years, which has been impressive, we must be doing something right,” he added.India will next face Namibia on Thursday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Following that match, they are scheduled to play Pakistan in Colombo on February 15 and then meet the Netherlands in Ahmedabad on February 18 in their final group-stage game.In the win over the USA, Suryakumar Yadav scored an unbeaten 84 off 49 balls.