Former Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara has showered praise on Mohammed Siraj for his brilliant spell in the team’s opening clash of the T20 World Cup 2026 against the USA at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Saturday. After posting a decent score of 161 runs on the board on a tricky wicket, India was able to restrict USA to 132.

Siraj returned with figures of 3-29 in his quota of four overs after making a comeback into the team. The right-arm pacer was returning to the T20I setup after 19 months. Siraj was added to the squad after Harshit Rana was ruled out of the tournament and got a chance in the starting XI after Jasprit Bumrah wasn’t well.

Pujara said it is never easy for a player to hit the ground running after getting a call suddenly.

“He comes with a lot of energy. When he is on the field, he is never lacking in energy, no matter which format he plays. The way he was bowling, it never seemed like he hadn’t been playing the T20 format for some time. He remains ready. Whenever he gets a chance, he is ready to bowl and gives his full effort for the team,” Cheteshwar Pujara said on Star Sports.

“He also keeps the dressing room environment excellent. He has a crucial role in the Indian team. It’s not easy for any player when you get a call suddenly, and you have to play a match after two days. Despite that, the way he performed yesterday, going forward as well, there will be great expectations from him in this World Cup,” Pujara added.

On the other hand, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav played a magnum opus knock of 84 runs off just 49 balls after India were under the cosh at 77-6. Pujara praised Yadav for his superb knock when the team was under pressure.

“The first three or four overs went well for us, but the way Suryakumar Yadav batted after six wickets had fallen, the way he used the crease, we know that he is a 360-degree player, and he showed that by doing it under pressure. I think he is one of the best T20 players,” he said.

“His form went slightly awry in between for sure, but his recent form has been quite good, and he is carrying that form into this World Cup. In the first match itself, he showed why he is the captain and why there are such high expectations from him. I am sure this T20 World Cup will go very good for him because he has started well,” Pujara observed.

India will next take on Namibia at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi on February 12.