ICC Men’s T20 WC 2026 | Match 3: India vs USA | Preview and Predictions

Defending champions India will start their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign against heavy underdogs USA in Match 3 at Wankhede Stadium on February 7, 2026. 

Here, we present our preview and predictions for the game.

ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 | Match 3: IND vs USA | 19:00 IST, February 7, 2026

After months of preparation and plenty of chopping and changing, the time has come for Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav to deliver. Their dress rehearsal for this marquee tournament has been excellent, sealing two commanding series victories against potential challengers South Africa and New Zealand.

In the batting department, there were numerous discussions regarding who should open alongside Abhishek Sharma, and whether Tilak Verma would be back fit in time. However, all those speculations were laid to rest after skipper Yadav announced Ishan Kishan would in fact open the batting, while Verma should slot in at No. 4 after starting both warm-up fixtures.

The rest of the batting order picks itself. In the bowling ranks, both Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh should start as lead seamers, with Varun Chakravarthy getting the nod ahead of Kuldeep Yadav. Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, and Axar Patel will be tasked with completing the rest of the overs.

Their opponents, the USA, have definitely come on in leaps and bounds over the last few years. Co-hosting the 2024 edition alongside the West Indies and then going on to qualify for the Super Eight stage at the expense of a former champion in Pakistan was the success story of the last tournament.

Ahead of their first game in this edition, the US have already given a very good account of themselves against some quality opposition in the warm-up games. Despite both India A and New Zealand breaching the 200-run mark against them, they were also able to cross the 200-run mark on both occasions, giving them belief that they belong here at this stage among the big boys.

The entire batting unit has looked in good form, with everyone getting runs across these two games. In the bowling department, the likes of Saurabh Netravalkar, Nosthush Kenjige, and Harmeet Singh will be key to restricting the opposition and setting up the game for their batters.

In terms of the weather forecast and pitch report for this game, with the temperature peaking at 36° C during the day and falling to 26° C by the time the game starts, expect heavy dew to set in. Like most venues across the country, the wicket here at the Wankhede can be a batting paradise, with shorter boundaries often making most contests a run-fest. However, the new ball also does a bit early on and can cause issues if not dealt with properly.

Looking ahead to this fixture, the hosts are in some serious form right now, and no team in world cricket would want to face them at this stage. Despite their improved showing against both India A and New Zealand, the US will find the main Indian team to be a different proposition altogether. Thus, we predict the Men in Blue to win comprehensively at the Wankhede.

Fantasy XI: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (c), Suryakumar Yadav (vc), Tilak Verma, Milind Kumar, Hardik Pandya, Varun Chakravarthy, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Ali Khan

Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Winners Prediction: India