Mumbai, February 7 India's new-ball bowlers, Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj, made quick inroads, reducing the USA to 49 for 3 at the 10-over mark after the hosts had earlier struggled to a below-par 161 for 9 in the T20 World Cup match here on Saturday.
Siraj (2/18 in 3 overs) was the more destructive of the two, dismissing both openers, Andries Gous (6) and Saiteja Mukkamalla (2), while Arshdeep Singh (1/11 in 3 overs) sent back skipper Monank Patel for a duck, leaving the USA reeling at 13 for 3 inside the fourth over.
At the halfway stage of their innings, the USA needed another 113 runs to upset the defending champions, with the required run rate steadily climbing past the 10 runs per over mark.
Earlier, captain Suryakumar Yadav led a spirited fightback with an unbeaten 84 off 49 balls, laced with 10 boundaries and four sixes, even as wickets continued to fall at the other end.
India were in a precarious position at 77 for 6 in the 13th over before Surya's onslaught helped them to a respectable total, after USA's 37-year-old South African-born pacer, Shadley van Schalkwyk (4/25), had decimated the batting, taking three wickets in a brutal sixth over to dismiss Ishan Kishan (20), Tilak Varma (25) and Shivam Dube (0).