India vs USA T20: Match Highlights and Key Moments

 

India vs USA T20: Match Highlights and Key Moments

The third and final T20I between India and the United States, played at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium in Lauderhill, Florida on 6 February 2026, ended in a convincing 68-run victory for the visitors. India completed a 3–0 clean sweep of the series, reinforcing their dominance in bilateral white-ball cricket against the Associate nation while giving several fringe players valuable game time ahead of the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the United States later in the year.

Batting first after winning the toss, India posted a formidable 198/5 in their 20 overs. The United States, chasing 199, were bowled out for 130 in 18.3 overs. The match was dominated by India’s spinners in the middle overs and their death bowlers in the final phase, while the batting unit showed depth and adaptability on a two-paced surface that slowed down considerably under lights.

India’s Batting Powerhouse – 198/5 in 20 Overs

India’s innings was built around three substantial contributions:

• Yashasvi Jaiswal (opener): 67 off 41 balls (6 fours, 4 sixes) Jaiswal provided the explosive start with a 48-run opening stand in 5.3 overs alongside captain Suryakumar Yadav. He targeted the short square boundaries and punished anything short or wide. Dismissed in the 11th over lbw to Harmeet Singh.
• Tilak Varma (No. 3): 54 off 32 balls (4 fours, 3 sixes) Tilak anchored the middle overs with calm authority. He rotated strike effectively against spin and accelerated against pace in the death overs. His 78-run partnership with Jitesh Sharma (38 off 19) in the last seven overs was the backbone of the total.
• Jitesh Sharma (finisher): 38 off 19 balls (2 fours, 3 sixes) Jitesh’s late cameo included two massive sixes off Nosthush Kenjige and a flicked boundary over short fine leg. He remained unbeaten.

Supporting cameos came from Suryakumar Yadav (22 off 16) and Rinku Singh (18* off 10). India scored 68 runs in the last five overs, underlining their death-over prowess even without regular finishers Hardik Pandya and Rishabh Pant (both rested for this series).

USA’s Brave but Inadequate Chase

Chasing 199, the United States started positively with opener Shayan Jahangir (34 off 22) and captain Monank Patel (41 off 34) adding 62 in the powerplay. However, the introduction of spin in the middle overs triggered a collapse.

Key moments in the chase:

• 7.2 overs – Axar Patel removed Shayan Jahangir (caught at long-on)
• 9.4 overs – Ravi Bishnoi dismissed Monank Patel (bowled attempting a reverse sweep)
• 11.1–12.3 overs – Washington Sundar took three wickets in 11 deliveries (Aaron Jones lbw, Nitish Kumar caught at cover, Corey Anderson stumped)
• 14.2 overs – Ravi Bishnoi trapped Harmeet Singh lbw
• 16.4 overs – Arshdeep Singh bowled Nosthush Kenjige with a pinpoint yorker

The USA lost 7 wickets for 48 runs between overs 7 and 17, collapsing from 78/1 to 126/8. Lower-order resistance came from Shadley van Schalkwyk (19 off 14) and Ali Khan (12* off 8), but the target was always out of reach.

India’s Bowling Masterclass

India’s bowlers shared the spoils effectively:

• Ravi Bishnoi: 3/22 (4 overs) – best figures of the match
• Washington Sundar: 3/19 (4 overs) – choked the middle overs with flight and turn
• Axar Patel: 2/24 (4 overs) – economical and broke the opening stand
• Arshdeep Singh: 1/28 (3.3 overs) – lethal yorkers in the death
• Avesh Khan: 1/31 (4 overs) – early breakthrough and tight lines

The spinners bowled 12 overs between them for just 65 runs and 8 wickets, exploiting the slowing pitch and variable bounce perfectly.

Player of the Match & Series Awards

• Player of the Match: Ravi Bishnoi (3/22) – his middle-over spell turned the game decisively
• Player of the Series: Yashasvi Jaiswal (189 runs @ 63.00 in 3 innings) – consistent top-order anchor across the series

Statistical Highlights of the Match

• Highest individual score: Yashasvi Jaiswal 67
• Best bowling figures: Safyaan Sharif 5/19 (Scotland vs West Indies earlier in the day was the tournament’s standout individual performance)
• Highest partnership: 78 (Tilak Varma–Jitesh Sharma)
• Most expensive spell: Ali Khan 0/42 (4 overs)
• Run-rate comparison: India 9.90 rpo; USA 7.02 rpo

Post-Match Reactions

• Suryakumar Yadav (India captain): “Very satisfying series win. The boys showed great character on a tricky pitch. Ravi and Washington were outstanding with the ball, and our batters adapted well.”
• Monank Patel (USA captain): “Credit to India—they bowled brilliantly in the middle overs. We started well but couldn’t capitalise. We’ll learn from this and come back stronger.”
• Coach Stuart Law (USA): “This is the level we need to compete at consistently. Losing by 68 runs is disappointing, but the effort was there.”

Series Summary & Takeaways for India

India completed a 3–0 whitewash with scores of:

• 1st T20I: India 202/4 beat USA 162/8 by 40 runs
• 2nd T20I: India 178/6 beat USA 144 by 34 runs
• 3rd T20I: India 198/5 beat USA 130 by 68 runs

The series gave valuable game time to fringe players (Tilak Varma, Jitesh Sharma, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi) while resting seniors (Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah). The spin duo of Bishnoi and Sundar was particularly impressive, taking 12 wickets at an economy under 6 in the three matches.

For the USA, the series highlighted areas for improvement—middle-order fragility against spin, death-bowling execution and ability to defend totals on slower surfaces. The team will now focus on preparation for the T20 World Cup co-hosted by the West Indies and the United States in June 2026.

Conclusion

India’s 3–0 sweep of the United States was expected on paper, but the manner of victory—especially the clinical bowling performance in the third T20I—reinforced the depth in the Indian white-ball setup. Safyaan Sharif’s earlier five-wicket haul against West Indies may have been the individual highlight of the tournament so far, but Ravi Bishnoi’s match-winning spell on 6 February ensured India finished the bilateral series on a dominant note.

With the T20 World Cup on home-like Caribbean conditions just four months away, the series provided useful data points and confidence to the squad. For the USA, the learning curve remains steep, but matches against Full Members are invaluable for Associate growth.