India, Feb. 8 -- The India vs USA scorecard says, the defending champions made 161/9, but the deeper line is harsher: the innings repeatedly threatened to end early. Wickets fell and the pressure to do something kept rising with every over.

Suryakumar Yadav resisted that trap. His 84* off 49 was a captain's innings disguised as a highlight reel - first stabilising after the early damage, then turning the end overs into a calculated cash-out that gave India enough cushion to beat USA by 29 runs.

India's trouble arrived before the innings had even found its pace. They were 45/1 at the start of the sixth over and the start was looking decent despite the early fall of Abhishek Sharma. However, by the end of the over, they had fallen into a ...