Beat New Zealand by 96 runs to lift ICC Men’s T20 World Cup trophy
Ahmedabad: Fast bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah picked 4-15 as India became the first team to retain the Men’s T20 World Cup title and win the crown for a record three times after beating New Zealand by 96 runs in front of 86,824 fans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
Sanju Samson’s blistering 89 off 46 balls, laced with five fours and eight sixes, powered India to 255/5, the highest total in a T20 World Cup final, before Bumrah and Axar Patel (3-27) ripped through New Zealand’s top order to seal victory.
The visitors were dismissed for 159 in 19 overs, with only Tim Seifert offering resistance through a fighting 52.
Samson, in prime form after scores of 97 not out and 89 in his previous innings, shared a 98-run opening stand with Abhishek Sharma (52 off 21 balls) while Ishan Kishan added 54 off 25 deliveries.
James Neesham briefly checked the charge with three wickets in an over, but Shivam Dube’s unbeaten 26 off eight balls pushed India past 250.
India’s bowlers then ensured there was no repeat of the semi-final scare against England, reducing New Zealand to 52/3 inside the powerplay. The win broke two hoodoos – India’s first victory over New Zealand in a T20 World Cup and their first ICC white-ball triumph in Ahmedabad after defeats in the 2023 ODI final and earlier in this tournament.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav is now the fourth Indian skipper to lead the side to a men’s cricket World Cup title after having not lost a single series since taking charge after the trophy triumph in Barbados in June 2024 – a remarkable record that highlights India’s dominance in the shortest format.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir also gets his second ICC title, as India completed their two-peat of Men’s T20 World Cup titles via their high-risk and reward approach.
On a flat mixed soil pitch, India’s imposing total was built on an explosive platform laid by their top three, all of whom attacked from the outset with strike rates that underlined their dominance. Samson finished on a strike rate of 193.47, while Abhishek struck at 247.61 and Kishan hit his runs at a strike-rate of 216.
The early overs had set an ominous tone for New Zealand before the tactical decision to introduce fast bowler Jacob Duffy in the third over backfired badly. Runs and boundaries flowed from there like an avalanche, as New Zealand’s bowlers were sent on a leather hunt via depending too much on slower balls and bowling away from stump-to-stump lines.
