Samson, Bumrah and Axar star in a dominating display by the Indian team against New Zealand in final

India asserted its dominance in the Twenty20 format, winning the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup with a thumping 96-run victory against New Zealand in Ahmedabad on Sunday

India scored a massive 255/5 in 20 overs, riding on another brilliant innings by Sanju Samson, who blasted 89 off 46 balls. Jasprit Bumrah produced a great spell on his home ground, taking four wickets while giving away just 15 runs. Axar Patel, also a home favourite for the Ahmedabad crowd, finished with three wickets. New Zealand kept losing wickets as the scoreboard pressure mounted and were bowled out for 159 in 19 overs. Tim Seifert top-scored for New Zealand with 52.

India thus became the first team to win back-to-back ICC T20 World Cups. It was India’s third trophy overall, having won the inaugural Cup in 2007 hosted by South Africa. Mahendra Singh Dhoni led a young side to the title, beating Pakistan in the final. Rohit Sharma then brought the T20 World Cup back in 2024, which was co-hosted by the West Indies and the USA. Suryakumar Yadav now becomes the third Indian captain to win the trophy.

India thoroughly dominated the final against New Zealand, coping with the pressure of defending the championship in front of a home crowd. Sanju Samson played a stellar role in India’s campaign and produced another sensational innings, smashing 89. Samson was beautifully timing the ball and struck eight sixes and five fours. Abhishek Sharma, who had a tough tournament, came good on the most important day, hitting 52 off 21 balls with six fours and three sixes. Samson and Sharma added 98 runs in 7.1 overs, putting New Zealand under pressure from the start. Though New Zealand fought back towards the end, with James Neesham taking three wickets in one over, the strong start meant India posted an imposing 255 runs on the board. Shivam Dube scored a quickfire 26 off eight balls.

EOM