T20 World Cup: Favourites India begin bid for history in Green Card vs Aadhaar Card clash
India Today
T20 World Cup 2026, India vs USA: Defending champions India will kick off their ICC Men's T20 World Cup campaign against a multicultural USA side at Mumbai's iconic Wankhede Stadium. With eight members of the USA squad tracing their roots back to India, Saturday's clash has been colloquially billed as Green Card versus Aadhaar Card.
Cricket does not often look like this. On one side are the defending world champions. On the other side is a team built across continents, time zones and passport stamps. When the defending champions, India, open their T20 World Cup campaign against the United States at the Wankhede on Saturday, February 7, it will be less about where the teams come from and more about how far the game has travelled.
The India vs USA group clash will get underway at 7 pm IST. JioHotstar will offer livestreaming, while Star Sports will provide TV coverage of the match in India.
The USA will walk out with a squad filled with journeymen from India, Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka at one of India's most famed cricket grounds on Saturday. This American side tells the story of how cricket now travels. Only four players were born in the United States, all to immigrant families. The rest are first-generation arrivals, including three born in Pakistan, bringing with them skills learnt on distant pitches before finding a home in American colours.
With eight members of the USA squad tracing their roots back to India, Saturday’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup clash at the Wankhede Stadium has been playfully dubbed Green Card versus Aadhaar Card.
A Green Card, officially known as a permanent resident card, confirms lawful permanent residency in the United States. Aadhaar, by contrast, is India’s 12-digit unique identification number issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India, serving as proof of identity and address across the country. USA's captain, Monank Patel training in Sri Lanka. (Image: Instagram/Monank Patel)
Captain Maunak Patel, spinner Harmeet Singh, batter Shubham Ranjane, Jasdeep Singh, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Milind Kumar, Saiteja Mukkamalla and experienced left-arm pacer Saurabh Netravalkar form the Indian-rooted spine of the American side.
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