As soon as the former India captain stepped on the field before the start of the India vs USA match for the third game of T20 World Cup 2026, the fans at the Wankhede Stadium started chanting ‘Rohit, Rohit…’. Sharma went to the field with ICC President Jay Shah.
India and USA cricket team face each other for the third match of the opening day of the elite tournament. Team India is a strong contender to win the tournament. If they are able to do so, the Men in Blue will be the first in T20 World Cup history to defend their title.
Fans were chanting ‘Rohit, Rohit…’ during the IND vs USA T20 World Cup 2026 match.
Rohit Sharma and Jay Shah were seen together at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai during the IND vs USA match. The former India captain entered the field holding the trophy tightly in his arms. Since he had already retired from T20 Internationals, the opener could only watch the match as a spectator.
Rohit Sharma chanted for Mumbai Cha Raja at Wankhede Stadium. pic.twitter.com/3IiWSTuGru
– Ratneesh (@LoyalSachinFan) 7 February 2026
However, it was a pleasant experience for the fans present at the venue to see the star cricketer, under whose leadership Team India managed to win the T20 World Cup title in 2024. This year, the team will be in charge of defending its silver medal. Before the tournament, Rohit warned the team about the dew factor, as there would be dew in evening matches across the country.
India came out to bat first
India came into the match batting first, as USA won the toss and decided to bowl first. The hosts will bowl in the second innings, when the dew factor is likely to be at its highest. Due to the dew factor, bowlers often find it difficult to grip the ball properly. Mostly, the conditions become more challenging for the spinners, and India have several spinners in their playing combination for the opening match.
As expected, Sanju Samson is not in the playing eleven in today’s match. Ishan Kishan got a chance to open the innings with Abhishek Sharma. Notably, fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has also not been included in the eleven for the IND vs USA contest.
Golden duck for Abhishek Sharma in India vs USA match
Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj and Axar Patel are in the team as full regular bowlers. Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dubey will assist them with their fast bowling abilities. Kuldeep Singh is also absent.
Bowling first, USA soon got the wicket of dangerous batsman Abhishek Sharma. Ali Khan, with this remarkable pace, helped the team get rid of Sharma in the early part of the first innings. The left-handed opening batsman was dismissed for a golden duck in the second over of the India vs USA game.
India vs USA T20 World Cup 2026 Playing XI:
India (Playing XI): Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Verma, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dubey, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj and Varun Chakravarthy.
United States (Playing XI): Andries Goss (wk), Saiteja Mukkamalla, Monank Patel (capt), Milind Kumar, Sanjay Krishnamurthy, Shubham Ranjane, Harmeet Singh, Mohammad Mohsin, Shadley Van Schalkwyk, Ali Khan, Saurabh Netrawalkar.
read more:BREAKING: ‘Unwell’ Jasprit Bumrah out of World Cup-opener, Suryakumar Yadav confirmed as replacement