T20 World Cup: Favourites India begin bid for history in Green Card vs Aadhaar Card clash

Cricket does not often look like this. On one side are the defending world champions. On the other side is a team built across continents, time zones and passport stamps. When the defending champions, India, open their T20 World Cup campaign against the United States at the Wankhede on Saturday, February 7, it will be less about where the teams come from and more about how far the game has travelled.

The India vs USA group clash will get underway at 7 pm IST. JioHotstar will offer livestreaming, while Star Sports will provide TV coverage of the match in India.

The USA will walk out with a squad filled with journeymen from India, Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka at one of India's most famed cricket grounds on Saturday. This American side tells the story of how cricket now travels. Only four players were born in the United States, all to immigrant families. The rest are first-generation arrivals, including three born in Pakistan, bringing with them skills learnt on distant pitches before finding a home in American colours.

GREEN CARD vs AADHAAR CARD

With eight members of the USA squad tracing their roots back to India, Saturday’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup clash at the Wankhede Stadium has been playfully dubbed Green Card versus Aadhaar Card.

A Green Card, officially known as a permanent resident card, confirms lawful permanent residency in the United States. Aadhaar, by contrast, is India’s 12-digit unique identification number issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India, serving as proof of identity and address across the country.

Captain Maunak Patel, spinner Harmeet Singh, batter Shubham Ranjane, Jasdeep Singh, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Milind Kumar, Saiteja Mukkamalla and experienced left-arm pacer Saurabh Netravalkar form the Indian-rooted spine of the American side.

For Harmeet, Shubham and Netravalkar, this fixture carries a deeper resonance. All three are products of the Mumbai maidans, where long days under the sun once saw them share space with future India stars such as Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube, chasing the same ambitions that now meet at the World Cup.

On the eve of the match, India captain Suryakumar Yadav viewed the presence of Indian-origin players in rival teams as a sign of the game’s expanding reach.

“They’ve gone now to the land of dollars,” Suryakumar said. “But I look at it positively. It’s good that players are getting opportunities. Even if they’re representing other countries, it’s still a chance to play international cricket. I’ve played a lot with them before. Right now, though, we’re enjoying our own cricket. I’ve played enough in Mumbai to know how things work here. It will be fun. We start the tournament tomorrow, and then we’ll catch up slowly.”

INDIA BEGIN BID FOR HISTORY

India come into the tournament in a position few teams manage in T20 cricket. In a format known for surprises, they have learned how to stay in control. Led by Suryakumar Yadav, this side is chasing something no team has pulled off before: defending a T20 World Cup title and lifting the trophy for a third time.

History, however, has a habit of pushing back. Playing a World Cup at home brings its own weight, and even the best teams have struggled under it. No side has ever won a T20 World Cup on home soil, leaving India with another long-standing hurdle to clear.

What makes this team different is how consistently they have played over the last two years. An 80 per cent win record tells the story of a side that has found a way to make T20 cricket predictable. They have taken the risk out of a risky format and turned it into something they can repeat again and again. This is not just a team hoping to compete, but one aiming to set the pace.

Across nine editions, the T20 World Cup has never seen a title defended or a host lift the trophy. On Saturday, at a packed Wankhede Stadium where India once celebrated their 2011 ODI World Cup win, the hosts begin their campaign believing both records can finally be changed.

Since winning their second T20 World Cup in June 2024, India have barely slowed down. They have won 33 of their 41 T20 internationals in this period, including an unbeaten run through last year’s Asia Cup. Eight bilateral series wins, split evenly between home and away, show their grip on the format, coming against strong sides like Australia, South Africa at home and away, England and New Zealand.

This version of India has also pushed scoring to new levels. They have crossed 200 in an innings 12 times in this phase, while no other team has managed more than seven. Their three highest T20I totals, 297 for 6, 283 for 1 and 271 for 5, have all come in this cycle, driven by a clear plan to bat big, bat fast and not worry about the odd failure.

India have lost only six of their 41 matches in this stretch, and just two of those defeats have come at home, both while chasing totals above 200. For a team playing such high-risk cricket, the balance has clearly worked, with far more good days than bad.

USA LOOK TO MAKE THEIR MARK

The United States head into their second consecutive ICC Men’s T20 World Cup carrying confidence from a breakthrough home campaign in 2024, one defined by a memorable Super Over victory against Pakistan. That surge on the field, however, came during a period of significant uncertainty off it, with the suspension of USA Cricket throwing the administration of the game into disarray.

The win over Pakistan appeared poised to open doors to more regular fixtures against Full Member nations. Instead, continued administrative turmoil ensured that momentum stalled and the international calendar remained limited.

On the field, though, progress continued. The men’s team put together a strong run in the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 and were rewarded with the Associate Team of the Year honour at the ICC AGM in 2025, underlining that their rise was built on more than a single upset.

Backed by increased investment and the visibility provided by Major League Cricket, the sense of novelty around American cricket has steadily faded. In its place is a more settled group of players, many of whom are now familiar faces across the global T20 circuit. Having shed their long-standing tag as the game’s sleeping giants by toppling bigger teams in 2024, the United States arrive at the 2026 World Cup looking to move beyond the fringes of international cricket and establish themselves as a competitive force.

INDIA VS USA HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD IN T20Is

India and the USA have crossed paths just once in T20 Internationals to date. Their solitary encounter unfolded on the world stage at the 2024 T20 World Cup in New York, where India’s pedigree and polish proved decisive as they secured a convincing win and took an early lead in the rivalry.

INDIA vs USA: MUMBAI PITCH CONDITIONS

India's west coast is already registering highs of 35 degrees Celsius and above, but the evening should get pleasant. If the temperature differential between day and night results in dew, it will make the usually high-scoring Wankhede Stadium even more batting-friendly.

The dew will be something all teams will keep an eye on with bigger matches, including one semi-final, coming later in the tournament.

INDIA vs USA: PREDICTED XI

Washington Sundar, who is still recovering from a side strain, did not feature in India’s warm-up match against South Africa, but the team plans to retain him in the squad. For now, he remains the back-up to Axar Patel, India’s first-choice spin all-rounder.

There were greater concerns around Harshit Rana, who has now been replaced by Mohammed Siraj in the Indian squad.

On a positive note, Tilak Varma has returned to fitness and is available for selection.

India (Predicted XI): Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy.

Andries Gous, who missed the USA’s last T20I in the final of the North America T20 Cup in April, is expected to return as both wicketkeeper and opener. His inclusion is likely to push the rest of the batting order down a spot each to cover for the absence of the suspended Aaron Jones.

USA (Predicted XI): Saiteja Mukkamalla, Andries Gous (wk), Shayan Jahangir, Monank Patel (capt.), 5 Milind Kumar, Harmeet Singh, Shubham Ranjane, Mohammad Mohsin, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Saurabh Netravalkar, Ali Khan

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