Mumbai: India’s finisher Rinku Singh won the fielder of the match medal after the defending champions registered a 29-run win against the USA in their first match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, played at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday.
Rinku was all around the ground, saving crucial runs during the USA’s chase. He also took a brilliant catch of Sanjay Krishnamurthi at deep mid-wicket in the 16th over, which helped the team come close to winning.
In a video released by the BCCI on X, Rinku was seen preparing for his speech after winning the medal, and as the skipper Suryakumar Yadav announced his name, the right-handed batter said, “It is the start of the tournament, and we have to keep this spirit for the rest of the tournament. Keep supporting each other, and things will always remain smooth.”
Rinku was, however, not able to impress with the bat in his T20 World Cup debut. Coming at a crucial time when India was reeling at 46/4 after the power play, Rinku got out early after scoring just five runs off 11 balls during his stay.
Speaking of the match, skipper Suryakumar played a match-winning knock of 84 not out after India were off to a bad start.
When the two-time champions were down at 77/6, Surya and Axar Patel raised a vital 41 runs for the seventh wicket partnership. The Indian skipper then put on display his 360-degree stroke-making abilities and power-hitting as he hammered two sixes and two fours in the final over to help India reach 161/9 in 20 overs.
Mohammad Siraj claimed three wickets for 29 runs, and with Arshdeep Singh and Axar Patel bagging two wickets each, India strangled the USA innings and restricted them to 132/8 to win by 29 runs.
India will now play against Namibia on February 12 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
(IANS)
