Future cricket historians will look back at this period and identify it as the golden era of Indian T20 cricket. The team’s second consecutive World Cup title, secured with a 96-run demolition of New Zealand in the final, is the capstone of a run of dominance that has left the rest of the world in their wake. India are the best there is, the best there has been, and possibly the best there will be for some time to come.
The final was played at a packed stadium of 100,000, virtually all of whom were dressed in India blue. From the opening over, it was clear this was going to be a night of celebration rather than nail-biting competition. India’s openers produced 92 for no loss in the powerplay — equalling the World Cup record — with Abhishek Sharma hitting 50 off just 18 balls.
Sanju Samson’s 89 off 46 was the innings of the match, a blend of power and poise that confirmed his status among the world’s elite T20 batters. Ishan Kishan’s 54 off 25 maintained the pressure, and even when wickets fell in a cluster late on, Shivam Dube’s cameo of 26 off eight ensured India closed on 255. It was a total that always felt insurmountable.
Bumrah took three wickets with slow yorkers in a man-of-the-match performance that capped a sensational tournament campaign. New Zealand were dismissed for 159, 96 short of what they needed. The result was a formality from the end of the powerplay.
India are world champions again. They have done something that had never been done before in men’s T20 cricket: defend the World Cup. And they have done it in front of their own people, in their own land, and in their own inimitable style.
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