India has made history by becoming the first team to successfully retain the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup title, securing their third world championship and winning the trophy on home soil. They defeated New Zealand by 96 runs in the final, held at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, witnessed by a crowd of 86,824 fans.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav, who has maintained an unbeaten series record since taking charge in July 2024, will be the fourth Indian to lead the team to a men’s cricket World Cup victory. This achievement underscores India’s dominant stature in the shortest format of the game.
With this emphatic victory, India broke two long-standing hoodoos: they recorded their first-ever win against New Zealand in a Men’s T20 World Cup match, and they also overcame the challenge of winning in Ahmedabad, where they had previously suffered two ICC white-ball defeats—the 2023 ODI World Cup final loss to Australia and a Super Eights defeat to South Africa earlier in the tournament.
Sanju Samson played a spectacular innings, scoring a blistering 89 runs off just 46 balls, including five fours and eight sixes. His performance propelled India to a massive total of 255/5, which was the second highest score of the tournament and the highest ever posted by a team in the World Cup. India’s bowlers then dominated New Zealand, dismantling their batting lineup inside the powerplay and bowling them out for 159 in 19 overs, sealing a comprehensive victory.
Samson, in the form of his life with scores of 97 not out and 89 in his previous two innings, shared a strong opening partnership of 98 runs with Abhishek Sharma. Sharma saved his best performance for the final, smashing 52 runs off just 21 balls. Ishan Kishan also contributed significantly, scoring 54 off 25 balls to fuel India’s dominant total.
James Neesham briefly disrupted India’s momentum by taking three wickets in a single over. However, Shivam Dube counterattacked with an unbeaten 26 runs off eight balls, pushing India past the 250-run mark. Then, local heroes Jasprit Bumrah and Axar Patel dismantled New Zealand’s top order, reducing them to 52/3 and effectively ending any realistic chance of a record chase. In doing so, India fulfilled their pre-tournament expectations and etched their name in cricket history.
Brief Scores:
India: 255/5 (20 overs)
- Sanju Samson: 89 (46 balls)
- Abhishek Sharma: 52 (21 balls)
- Ishan Kishan: 54 (25 balls)
- Shivam Dube: 26* (8 balls)
New Zealand: 159 all out (19 overs)
- James Neesham: 3 wickets (in one over)
- Jasprit Bumrah & Axar Patel: Key wickets to dismantle top order
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