Axar Patel Admits India Were 'Surprised' By Wankhede Pitch After Batting Struggles In Opening Match Against USA

India faced the USA in their opening match in the T20 World Cup 2026, where the Men in Blue restricted their opponents to 132/8 during their run chase of 161 runs to win by 29 runs. However, before the win, the match saw the hosts struggle with batting in the 1st innings despite having star batters like Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, and Hardik Pandya.

India's star batter failed to make much impact as the Men in Blue found themselves reduced to 77 for 6 wickets in the 13th over of the 1st innings. However, despite the struggles, vice captain Axar Patel and skipper Suryakumar Yadav steadied the sinking India ship with an important partnership.

Following the match, Axar Patel opened up about the Wankhede pitch and shared that the team was really surprised by it, as generally, the Mumbai pitch is expected to be flat.

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Axar Patel Opens Up About Wankhede Pitch

Suryakumar Yadav's brilliant unbeaten 49-ball 84 runs bailed India out of the pickle they had found themselves in, propelling the hosts to a match-winning 161/9. After the match, while speaking to the reporters, Axar Patel admitted that his side was surprised by the pitch and shared that the pitch behaved differently than what they had initially anticipated.

Axar shared, "Generally, Mumbai wickets are flat, but this was different. So we changed our plan to reach 140-150. After two overs, we were surprised. Generally, it’s flat, but this was different. When I went to bat, we thought keep it to 140… then 21 runs came in an over. And later, Surya got more."

He further added, "About those wickets that fell early, that’s cricket. It’s good that this happened in the first match itself. In cricket, understanding the pitch is important. We will be better off for this experience."

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India Won By 29 Runs Against USA

After the dismissal of star batters like Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, and Tilak Verma, Suryakumar Yadav came onto the pitch and stayed till the end of the 1st innings, smashing 49-ball 84 runs, laced with 10 boundaries and 4 sixes.

In the second innings, India did not allow their opponents to settle in and build a steady partnership as Mohammed Siraj picked up three wickets, while vice-captain Axar Patel got two.