Twenty20 World Cup: India thrash New Zealand by 96 runs in final to become only team in T20 history to hold the trophy thrice, and win it back-to-back

Ahmedabad: In Ahmedabad, a fire was lit under India, when South Africa thrashed the home team by 76 runs in the Super Eights and that flame grew steadily brighter until it reached a bornfire of excellence that singed New Zealand in the final. India became the first team to win three Twenty20 World Cups, and 86,824 spectators were no longer on the edge of their seats when the final ball was bowled as India won by 96 runs.

When South Africa bowled India out for 111, they showed the rest of the cricket world that this formidable Indian batting line-up was far from infallible. They set out a template that could work, especially if India’s batsmen were in two minds. More critically, though, they forced India to look in the mirror.

What India saw, with help from its video analyst, who put together a reel of what the team looked like at its best, was a team that had departed from the core values that brought it so much success over the last two years. India were feeling the pressure of a home World Cup and being tentative.


Also Read | T20 World Cup: Packed with match winners, India take 'Cup of Joy' with dominant show

India’s batsmen have been at their best when they have played with freedom: eyes firmly on the ball before them and hitting it out of the ground with as much joy as possible. To do this in a World Cup, with the weight of expectations, takes strength of mind, for sure, but more critically, clarity of purpose.

Each batsman in the team did not have to keep the bigger picture in mind—that was the job of the coach and captain—but if they just turned up and did what they were best at, this collective would be irresistible.

In the final, it helped that New Zealand were tactically far from at their best. The decision to leave out Cole McConchie, the offspinner, for Jacob Duffy, the seamer, was as inexplicable as the International Cricket Council’s selection of Ricky Martin as headliner for the big day.

New Zealand’s repeated use of the short ball on a pitch that could not be more tailor-made for batting if it were produced by a 3-D printer beggared belief against batsmen who clear the ropes even with mishits.

In contrast, India got a lot right. They kept the faith in Abhishek Sharma and, while being out of form, he cracked an 18-ball half-century. India’s opening partnership was worth 98. Throughout the tournament, they had struggled for starts, but the South Africa match helped fix this too by easing Sanju Samson into the side.

Also Read | India vs New Zealand Final Match Report: India crowned champions after epic T20 World Cup win over New Zealand

In three knockout matches, Samson has scores of 97 not out, 89 and 89. There will be those who see this as three opportunities to score a century missed out, but the game has changed too much for personal milestones to even enter the picture. Samson’s task was to blunt the use of off spin early on and be a foil for Abhishek.

To his credit, Samson realised that being foil did not mean second fiddle. Samson brought calm to the top of the innings, but not at the cost of occupying the crease. Samson scored at a fast clip, and it was much the same in the final. Barring one heave-ho to the onside that speared off the outside edge and sailed over third man, there was not one chance given.

Samson’s strokeplay was unhurried, but his clean execution of shots slowed down the heartbeats of his teammates while dialling up the anxiety in the opposition. If Samson was operating as if in a bubble, others realised they only needed to be true to themselves to serve the team’s cause.

Ishan Kishan, with a piratical swagger, spent his time at the crease like a cheeky teenager hell-bent on spoiling the best laid plans of opposition bowlers. He came out punching, not swinging wildly, and the deftness of his initial strokes in the final ensured that the momentum stayed with India. He made 54 off only 25 and was the middle wicket of three in an action-packed 16th over.

Against the run of play, Jimmy Neeshan picked up Samson, Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav, conceding just one run. Here was a glimpse of New Zealand’s now-famous refusal to give up even when the situation was on the verge of becoming untenable. But the stutter came when India already had 203 on the board, and the ever-impressive Shivam Dube (26 from 8) used the long handle and his cool head to great effect, powering India to 255.

Jacob Bethell’s England made India sweat with a similar score, but the likelihood of a repeat was slim. In the semifinal, India needed to dig deep and find inspiration through their fielding. On the day, all the bowlers had to do was stick to their plans and keep the faith. They did so with aplomb, even with Tim Seifert (52) going great guns.

With each passing over and falling wicket, the number of miracles New Zealand needed to make a match of it kept increasing and India marched steadily towards glory. At the heart of it was Jasprit Bumrah, doing Bumrah things, ending with otherworldly figure of 4-0-15-4.

It was at this ground that Rohit Sharma’s India had their hearts broken in the final of the 50-over World Cup in 2023. Batting first on that November evening, India made 240 only to see it wiped out in quick time by a 137-run blitz from Travis Head. That loss hurt deeply, and only one batsman from that 50-over team was still around in this 20-over unit to exorcise those ghosts. Surya did not score a run, his first act at the crease being an ambitious angled-bat shot from off to leg that was well caught in the deep.

But Surya had set things up in this unit so well that they made 15 more runs off 20 overs in 2026 than they had off 50 in 2024. That’s a reflection not just of how much the game has changed, but also of how far this team has come in three short years. They will take some beating from here on.