Suryakumar Yadav urged teammates to prioritise team goals ahead of personal milestones
Said team is fully prepared to go all the way in T20 World Cup 2026
India take on Namibia for their second group-stage match on February 12
Captain Suryakumar Yadav has urged his Indian teammates to "prioritise team goals ahead of personal milestones" as the Men in Blue chase an unprecedented third ICC T20 World Cup title.
The co-hosts started their title defence with a 29-run victory over the United States of America (USA) in Mumbai, and they will be keen to continue their winning run when they take on Namibia in Delhi on Thursday (February 12, 2026).
India, the two-time champions, needed an unbeaten knock (84 runs off 49 balls) from Suryakumar in their ICC T20 World Cup 2026 opener against the USA at Wankhede Stadium.
Asked to set a target in their Group A opener, India were reeling at 77/6, but the skipper resurrected the innings with a batting masterclass.
"If you prioritise team goals ahead of personal milestones, more often than not, I feel the team will be in a dominant position," Speaking on JioStar's ‘Follow the Blues’.
India lost the top three -- Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, and Tilak Verma -- inside the powerplay, and wickets keep falling at the other end even as Yadav continued to pace his innings.
A total of 161/9 eventually proved more than enough. Led by pacers Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj, Indian bowlers produced a disciplined performance to restrict the Americans to 132/8.
The 35-year-old Mumbaikar also cautioned against overanalysing the results and performances and advised everyone in the team setup to steer clear of negativity.
"Only we can stop ourselves if we overanalyse or slip into a negative mindset, but I feel this team is fully prepared for the T20 World Cup. I don’t see any reason why we can’t go all the way."
India will start as the obvious favourites against Namibia in their second Group A match at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi. Namibia lost their opener against the Netherlands at the same venue by seven wickets.
As things stand, Pakistan lead Group A standings with four points from two wins -- against the Dutch by three wickets and the USA by 32 runs. The high-profile India vs Pakistan, scheduled for February 15 in Colombo, will go ahead as planned.
The International Cricket Council on Monday (February 9) confirmed that Pakistan will honour their commitment to play all the matches, having previously been instructed by their government to boycott the India fixture.
"The dialogue between ICC and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) took place as part of a broader engagement, with both parties recognising the need for constructive dealings and being united, committed and purposeful in their aspirations to serve the best interests of the game with integrity, neutrality and cooperation,” ICC said in a statement.
The two top teams from each group will progress to the Super 8 stage.
India won the inaugural edition in 2007 under Mahendra Singh Dhoni, then lifted the trophy again in 2024 with Rohit Sharma at the helm. West Indies became the first team to win the tournament twice, followed by England.
With no previous champions ever defending the T20 World Cup title successfully and no hosts ever lifting the trophy, the 2026 edition offers India a historic opportunity to create dual history.
India Vs Namibia Squads
India Squad: Ishan Kishan (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson, and Washington Sundar.
Namibia Squad: Louren Steenkamp, Jan Frylinck, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Gerhard Erasmus (c), JJ Smit, Zane Green (wk), Ruben Trumpelmann, Dylan Leicher, Willem Myburgh, Bernard Scholtz, Max Heingo, Malan Kruger, Ben Shikongo, Jack Brassell, and Jan Balt.
India Vs Namibia Live Streaming
The India vs Namibia, Group A match will start at 7PM local time. The T20 World Cup 2026 cricket matches will be telecast live on Star Sports Network TV channels in India.
All the matches can be streamed live on the JioHotstar app and website.
For global TV listing and complete telecast details, pls click HERE.
