New Delhi [India], February 8 : Former Indian cricketer 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."
Coming to the match, after being asked to bat first, the Men in Blue made 161/9 in 20 overs at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on February 8. Captain Suryakumar played a fantastic, unbeaten knock of 84 off 49 deliveries.
Wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan (20 off 16 balls, with one four and two sixes) and Tilak Varma (25 off 16 balls, with three fours and one six) also chipped in with the bat.
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.