India vs USA: World Cup defense begins with injury scare

Team India begins its T20 World Cup 2026 title defense against the USA. Abhishek Sharma debuts, but an injury to Harshit Rana impacts the squad. Get all the details here.

Team India is set to commence its T20 World Cup 2026 title defense against the USA in a Group A match at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium. This opening game is the third fixture of the tournament's inaugural day.

World No. 1 T20I batter Abhishek Sharma will make his World Cup debut, opening with Ishan Kishan, who secured his place after a strong performance against New Zealand. Tilak Varma also returns to the playing XI after recovering from an abdominal issue, with Sanju Samson benched.

The Indian squad faces an injury concern as pacer Harshit Rana has been ruled out due to a knee injury sustained in a warm-up match. Mohammed Siraj has been called up as his replacement just before the opening fixture.

With Rana's absence, Jasprit Bumrah will feature in the playing eleven, sharing new ball duties with Arshdeep Singh. India might also consider Varun Chakravarthy as the specialist spinner over Kuldeep Yadav.

The USA team, led by Monank Patel, will see Andries Gous return as wicketkeeper-opener. They possess experienced batters and tricky bowlers who could challenge the Indian side.

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