Former Indian cricketer Subramaniam Badrinath made a humorous remark while praising pacer Mohammed Siraj for his impressive spell in India’s opening T20 World Cup 2026 match against the USA in Mumbai. Badrinath lauded the fast bowler for delivering immediately after being called up at the last minute, joking that Siraj had been enjoying ‘Hyderabad biryani’, just two days earlier.

Siraj was added to India’s squad late after Harshit Rana was ruled out with an injury just two days before the tournament. He was later included in the playing XI after pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah missed the USA clash due to illness. Making the most of the opportunity, Siraj produced an excellent bowling performance, finishing with figures of 3/29 from his four overs to help India secure a 29-run victory.

While praising Siraj’s impact, Badrinath also expressed his disappointment with India’s batting performance in the match, noting that the team struggled on a tricky surface before being rescued by a match-winning knock from captain Suryakumar Yadav.

"Mohammed Siraj bowled brilliantly. He was eating biryani in Hyderabad only two days back. But despite being suddenly called up for a World Cup game, he bowled very well,” said Badrinath on YouTube channel.

"India also had several scary moments. To be reduced to 45/4 and 77/6 against an average USA attack is unacceptable. The reason for such a collapse was the lack of assessing conditions and showing proper batsmanship. The Indian batters could have applied themselves better, as there was seam and spin, instead of blindly slogging. They won't escape every match like this, and that's the big lesson,” he added.

Badrinath hailed Suryakumar for his batting heroics and wide range of shots in India’s victory over the USA. With the team in trouble, Suryakumar initially scored at a run-a-ball during the first half of his innings before accelerating brilliantly in the final few overs. He has been in sensational form in 2026, averaging 108 and scoring at a strike rate of nearly 190 across six T20Is.

"He played a smart innings with the team under pressure. The quality and pedigree of a batter should always be judged by the range of shots, and that's where he stands out. He had an answer for every type of delivery and bowler. Only if you have a batter like that can you come out of a tough situation. Because with six wickets down, he had to stay and score playing percentage cricket," said Badrinath on Star Sports.

"You can't get out and also score runs, which is a very difficult situation to be in. He scored equally in all areas. He has not ignored the offside. That's the brilliance of Suryakumar Yadav,” he added.