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US President Donald Trump posted a good-luck wish for the USA men’s cricket team in the T20 World Cup after they had already lost to India.
India, led by Suryakumar Yadav’s unbeaten 84 defeated the USA by 29 runs at Wankhede Stadium.
The USA team’s competitive performance and attention from political leaders highlight cricket’s expanding popularity in the United States.
US President Donald Trump took to his Truth Social to post a good luck message for the American men’s cricket team in the ongoing T20 World Cup in India. However, the post came on Sunday, 8 February 2026, a day after India defeated the USA team in the opening match on 7 February 2026, making it a classic example of “better late than never.”
Trump wrote, “I just heard the Cricket World Cup is underway in India! I wish the best of luck to TEAM USA! We have a very strong team. America is rooting for you!” However, the late wish made the message viral, with many joking in the comment section that any team that defeats the USA would get an additional tariff. Some even went on to say that we already have a winner of the T20 World Cup 2026.
The opening match was played between the USA and India, in which the Indian team emerged as the winner by 29 runs at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on Saturday night. Amidst all this, the President’s encouragement was appreciated by US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor, who politely thanked the President.
The match was a thrilling one for the fans, as the competition was tough, with Suryakumar Yadav leading India. The team went through a troubling start as the batting saw 77 for six, which was later steadied by Suryakumar with an unbeaten 84 off 49 balls, filling the rest of the innings with boundaries. India scored a decent 161 for nine, which was not an impressive number in modern T20 cricket.
As for the USA team, it has never been a country known for its cricket team; baseball has always overpowered it. This is also reflected in the team, as most of the members are immigrants, with a good number of them having Indian roots. This even made everyone quite amused, as many joked that it did not feel like an international match but a domestic one, as the team was captained by Indian-origin player Monank Patel.
Team USA gave tough competition to the Indian team with the presence of South Africa-born pacer Shadley van Schalkwyk, who took four wickets for 25 runs. The Americans, however, started in a turbulent manner thanks to Mohammed Siraj, who claimed the wickets of both openers, leaving them at 13 for 3. The middle order was given tough competition by the Indian spinners Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel as the USA team tried to rebuild the match, with Milind Kumar scoring 34, and Sanjay Krishnamurthi and Shubham Ranjane scoring 37 each. Finally, the USA fell short by 29 runs, finishing with 132.
Trump was late in his wishes, but wishing at all seems like a step towards a broader effort to establish cricket in the American sporting ecosystem. It was even seen as the country co-hosted the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which included matches at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York.
Trump’s encouragement this time did not change the scoreboard but undoubtedly added entertainment to the innings even after it ended, changing the comment section into a mini tournament for the fans.
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