Sports, March 8: India national cricket team delivered a commanding performance at the Narendra Modi Stadium to retain the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup title, defeating the New Zealand national cricket team by 96 runs. The victory marks India’s third T20 World Cup crown, making them the first team to achieve the milestone.
In front of a record crowd, India dominated with both bat and ball to secure back-to-back global trophies and reinforce their status at the top of T20 cricket.
Sent in to bat, India posted a record 255 for 5 — the highest total ever in a T20 World Cup final. Openers Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma gave India a flying start, racing to 92 without loss in the first six overs. Abhishek Sharma set the tone with an explosive 52 off 21 balls before being dismissed in the eighth over.
Samson anchored the innings with a commanding 89 off 46 balls, including eight sixes, registering his third consecutive half-century of the tournament. Ishan Kishan kept the momentum going with a quick 54 off 25 deliveries.
A brief mid-innings wobble followed when James Neesham picked up three wickets in a single over, but Shivam Dube produced a late flourish with an unbeaten 26 off just eight balls, including 24 runs in the final over, pushing India beyond the 250 mark.
Chasing 256, New Zealand struggled to build momentum. Jasprit Bumrah struck with his very first delivery, dismissing Rachin Ravindra, and finished with figures of 4 for 15. Axar Patel claimed three wickets for 18 runs, while Varun Chakaravarthy also picked up a crucial scalp.
Tim Seifert offered some resistance with a brisk 52 off 26 balls, but his dismissal to Chakaravarthy triggered a collapse. Late contributions from captain Mitchell Santner (43) and Lockie Ferguson (6) only delayed the inevitable as New Zealand were bowled out for 159 in the 19th over.
The emphatic victory secured India a historic third T20 World Cup title, with the Ahmedabad crowd witnessing a dominant all-round performance that underlined India’s supremacy in the shortest format of the game.
