Suryakumar Yadav and Harmeet Singh go a long way - they played together at the age-group stage and even at the senior level in the Indian domestic circuit. When India and the USA faced off in the World Cup on Saturday night, the clock turned back, particularly for Harmeet, who was returning to the Wankhede - once his home turf before he went to the US in pursuit of greener pastures about a decade ago.

"Firstly, it was very emotional," Harmeet, who had figures of two for 26 in four overs in a match lost by his side by 29 runs, said after the game. "But then, it's not just my story. I thought that it's the whole team's (US) story. Everybody has had a journey in this team. Everyone has come from different places, various backgrounds, different cultures, and faced their own ups and downs. But the story that unites us is cricket - that's what brings us together."

The outcome of the match would have been different if not for Suryakumar, and Harmeet was all praise for his former Mumbai teammate. "Credit to him - he played really well. But if you see Surya over the years, he plays the field.

"When I'm bowling to him, I try to bowl where my fielders are up; he's going to take a chance there. Ideally, even if you see the later half, when he was batting against the fast bowlers, he was taking chances where the fielders were up. But again, under pressure, a lot of things happened, and we dropped a catch (when he was on 15) early in his innings. Still, he had a fantastic knock on a wicket that was stopping a little bit or gripping a little bit."

Suryakumar scored 12 off the nine balls he faced from the left-arm spinner, with fours, four singles and three dot balls.

Suryakumar and Harmeet played at the Under-14, Under-19, and even in the Ranji Trophy. They were part of the Aditya Tare-captained, Pravin Amre-coached Mumbai team. "Yes, both debuted under me. Both were good students of the game, eager to learn. It is good to see the two playing in the World Cup, even if for different countries.

"For a coach, it is a big accomplishment personally when my students go on to play in a global event, not just in the bilateral series. Harmeet has done well, and Surya is Surya. He has created his own style of play, particularly in white-ball cricket," Amre, a former India batter, told Cricbuzz.

They played in four Ranji games for Mumbai in 2014 and two more in 2015. Harmeet featured in nine games for Mumbai, and Suryakumar, of course, is a Mumbai legend who went on to lead India.

Harmeet reflected on his impressions of his former teammate, a towering figure in T20 cricket internationally. "His success came a little late. But, you know, he was always there. I think there was a poise that came later in his career, like in MS Dhoni. And there was a flair of, just, you know, being a stroke player."

Suryakumar remained unbeaten on 84, constructing his innings in a measured way. "He has played [a] sensible innings. And, you know, then he finished the game, took the game, and played a proper knock. That maturity shows through. And that's what happens with experience and, you know, the kind of job he's given as a captain. So, I think he's doing a great job."