India - World T20 champions again! 🏆

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This 2026 T20 World Cup will be remembered as a tournament where global cricket truly showed its growth. For the first time, four teams from four different continents reached the semifinals in a tournament hosted in the subcontinent, a clear proof that international players are learning, adapting, and mastering these conditions.


The early stages were full of surprises. Associate teams pushed the giants to the edge. Nepal nearly stunned England and Zimbabwe’s upset over Australia was one of the headline moments. It showed how competitive this format has become. On the day , anyone can beat anyone.





But this tournament belonged to Team India. We retained our World champion title in dominant fashion. Unlike the tense clash against England in the semis, the final against New Zealand was a one-sided affair, so one sided, I finished writing this when the New Zealand powerplay finished. 😁





India went into a video-game mode, bludgeoning the Kiwi bowling attack in the first 15 overs and taking full control of the game early. Abhishek +Sanju+Ishan making merry. 





Sanju Samson was one of the defining heroes of the tournament. From guiding us past West Indies in a knockout, to producing a thrilling innings against England, and top-scoring in the historic final, his calm yet intelligent batting in the last three games made him a deserving Player of the Tournament. Imagine, not getting picked in the playing XI to being the POTT. Abhishek Sharma was touted to be the person every team was plotting against for his explosive starts and they encountered the mighty Samson.


Ishan Kishan’s comeback was equally remarkable. After dominating the domestic circuit in the SMAT trophy, he locked down the No.3 spot with fearless strokeplay and confidence, rescuing India from tricky situations more than once. The pocket dynamo looked at his very best. I'm so glad him and Abhishek play for my team Sunrisers Hyderabad.



Shivam Dube quietly played a crucial role as the finisher and without his contributions we would have not made it this far. Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya produced moments of brilliance too with their hitting. 


An early defeat to South Africa, (the last time finalists )served as a good wake-up call that sharpened our team’s focus. Captain Suryakumar Yadav and Abhishek Sharma had quieter tournaments batting wise, though Abhishek ended with the fastest fifty of the tournament and he chose to deliver on the all important finals.


And then came the bowlers, the group that truly wins you tournaments.

Arshdeep Singh, Hardik Pandya, Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel delivered whenever the team needed them. Hardik’s early swing, Arshdeep’s precision in the powerplay and death overs, and the wicket-taking spells from Varun and Axar made India’s attack relentless.

I'm trying to imagine how did Hardik Pandya become so good without injuries bowling with control, with swing picking the first wicket. He was the bowling all rounder that got balance into this side.


But above all stood Jasprit Bumrah, let's call him Sir Jasprit Bumrah from now on. 

Time after time, in the toughest moments when hope seemed to fade, Bumrah produced magic. His control, intelligence, and ability to read situations across conditions left even the best teams stunned. In this tournament he firmly stepped into cricket’s rarest league of Superstardom alongside legends like Sachin, Virat and Rohit. 





India dropped over 15 catches in the tournament, yet when it mattered most they produced stunning moments in the field. Axar Patel’s spectacular catch against England deserves a separate mention. 




What made this World Cup truly special was the balance: individual brilliance combined with collective effort. Different players stepped up at different moments, making it a tournament that celebrated both talent and teamwork.




India defeating New Zealand in a World Cup final and at this Narendra Modi stadium makes this all the more special. This was not done before beating NZL or winning the finals here.

But, I found New Zealand very circumspect tactically. I think they took a lot of wrong calls bowling wise and let Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson settle. They didn't

utilise their spinners well in the power play. Also Daryll Mitchell was terribly under utilised I felt after the explosive starts they were getting. But that is for the Black Caps to introspect and they have many calm heads doing it for them.


So, M.S Dhoni (2007) to Rohit Sharma (2024) to Surya kumar Yadav (2026) our T20 cricket is in very good hands. Not to forget we did it with Rinku,Siraj,Kuldeep who keep the bench strength intact and performed on demand when they were called upon.

The next World Cup edition will be in Australia and New Zealand and I'm hoping we plug in all the technical and tactical gaps going there. But for now - CELEBRATE winning a T20 World Cup beating the mighty fine teams , calls to celebrate your heroes!!


NOT TO FORGET - its SIR JASPRIT BUMRAH from now on!

Go India go!! 🇮🇳🏆

#INDvsNZ

#T20WorldCup

#Bumrah #SanjuSamson #ShivamDube #SuryaKumarYadav

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