IND vs USA | Twitter stunned as SKY channels inner Dhoni with flawless helicopter in solo rescue effort

Today at 8:48 PM

A World Cup winning captain, rescue acts aplenty, and finisher supreme, few can match Mahendra Singh Dhoni's legacy for India in T20 cricket. Yet, Suryakumar Yadav reflected all those shades in a brilliant rescue effort for India against the USA in Mumbai, with a helicopter shot the cherry on top.

India endured a horrific start to their 2026 T20 World Cup campaign on home soil as four powerplay wickets ultimately saw them collapse to 77/6 at the Wankhede on Saturday, after losing the toss and being put in to bat first. Four of their top seven batters registered single digit scores, while two others fell before surpassing 25. Yet, the Men in Blue were not ready to give up without a fight, courtesy of captain fantastic.

The only saving grace for the hosts was Suryakumar Yadav as he patiently watched from one end while his teammates returned to the dugout one after the other, grinding it out in difficult conditions to anchor the side to safety before switching gears to set up a competitive total. The knock was littered with slog sweeps and cover drives for the ages, but the talisman truly peaked in the 16th over with a shot for the highlight reels. After lagging on 21 off 22, SKY struck three boundaries against Saurabh Netravalkar to more than double his score off the next 11 deliveries when the pacer ran in to bowl the final ball of his third over. Netravalkar went for the obvious choice of a wide yorker and nearly nailed his effort, only missing the mark by a few inches. However, it was enough for the Indian captain to stand tall and give his wrists an almighty whip, reminiscent of Mahendra Singh Dhoni in his heyday, and send the Kookaburra sailing over the midwicket fence with a helicopter shot as good as any the former Indian captain played.

Twitterati was bamboozled.

Helicopter!!!

pic.twitter.com/47ESrrQihp
— Alexandra Rodrigues (@R37389Alexandra) February 7, 2026

Thala for a reason!

Captain SKY launched a helicopter shot 🔥#INDvsUSA
— سهيل (@tweetsbysohaill) February 7, 2026

captain from front!

Suryakumar Yadav hit a brilliant fifty despite being under pressure against USA.
— Sarvada (@Sarvada4518) February 7, 2026

Well played!

#INDvsUSA

When others struggled, Suryakumar Yadav delivered

– a fiery 50 to steady the innings*

Well played SKY#INDvsUSA #surya #icct20worldcup2026 #BCCI #T20WC pic.twitter.com/h8QHY1ZCWE
— Rrahul (@rahulkr651012) February 7, 2026

Sky!!

Suryakumar Yadav already surpassed Kohli's legacy with this inning🗿🔥 pic.twitter.com/Lb2jnZK1ZV
— Gillfied⁷ (@Gill_Iss) February 7, 2026

Fifty!

FIFTY UNDER FIRE BY CAPTAIN SKY!

◾ Suryakumar Yadav brings up his 25th T20I fifty - Leads from the front in a pressure situation 💪

◾ “Surya, Surya” chants echo at Wankhede 🏟️🔥

◾ A captain’s knock when India needed it most. #INDvUSA #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/nPPzPUXVaQ
— Yogesh Goswami (@yogeshgoswami_) February 7, 2026

Incredible!

What an incredible innings form the Captain Suryakumar Yadav.

- His team falling apart around him but he stood firm and delivered for the team.

- He is on mission here

- 51 from just 36 balls.

- 7 fours and 1 Six pic.twitter.com/lqr3UXcKrr
— Kashif (@KashifNdmCric) February 7, 2026

Brilliant!

Captain Suryakumar Yadav delivers! A brilliant 50 off 36 balls on a tough pitch. Leading from the front on the big stage, he proves why he's simply the best. 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/Wq2zCnIHle
— Kanak Kumari (@KanakKu64995524) February 7, 2026

skipper!

Captain leading from the front

Suryakumar Yadav brings up his fifty #INDvUSA pic.twitter.com/6Hcb4ZaPbk
— Anand Tiwari (@anandt2011) February 7, 2026

Fifty!