Ahmedabad: India etched its name into the record books on Sunday, becoming the first nation to clinch three T20 World Cup titles and the first to successfully defend the crown with a commanding 96-run victory over New Zealand.
The triumph at the Narendra Modi Stadium also marked the first time a host nation has hoisted the trophy on home soil. A capacity crowd of over 86,000 spectators erupted in celebration as Suryakumar Yadav's squad surpassed the two-title benchmarks held by England and the West Indies.
Sanju Samson provided the backbone of the Indian innings, dismantling the Kiwi attack with a blistering 89 off 46 deliveries. His performance steered the co-hosts to a formidable 255-5. In response, New Zealand's chase faltered early, with the Black Caps eventually being dismissed for 159 in 19 overs.
Jasprit Bumrah anchored the bowling effort, finishing with clinical figures of 4-15. The veteran seamer utilised a barrage of trademark slower-ball yorkers to stifle the opposition, at one point sitting on a hat-trick after claiming two wickets in successive deliveries. Part-time spinner Abhishek Sharma applied the finishing touch, taking the final wicket of Jacob Duffy to seal the win.
The New Zealand collapse began during the powerplay when left-arm spinner Axar Patel removed the dangerous Finn Allen for nine. While opener Tim Seifert provided a spark with 52 off 26 balls, his dismissal in the ninth over by Varun Chakravarthy signalled the beginning of the end for the visitors. Despite a late 43-run contribution from captain Mitchell Santner, New Zealand was unable to avoid its second T20 World Cup final defeat.
The victory provided a sense of closure for the Indian side at the same venue where they suffered a heartbreaking loss to Australia in the 2023 ODI World Cup final. Former championship-winning captains Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni were among the luminaries in attendance to witness the redemption.
Earlier in the evening, Samson continued a historic run of form that included scores of 97 not out and 89 in his previous two outings. He struck five boundaries and eight sixes, anchoring a 98-run opening partnership with Abhishek Sharma. Abhishek's rapid-fire 52 off 21 balls helped India cross the 250-run threshold for the second consecutive match and the third time in the tournament.
The opening pair weathered the first two overs before launching an aggressive assault during the powerplay. Though Rachin Ravindra eventually dismissed Abhishek, Ishan Kishan kept the momentum high, contributing 54 off 25 balls.
New Zealand briefly found hope in the 18th over when Jimmy Neesham claimed three wickets, including Samson and Kishan on consecutive balls and Suryakumar for a duck. However, Shivam Dube ensured a high-scoring finish, punishing Neesham for 26 runs in the final over to set a target that proved well beyond New Zealand's reach.
With inputs from AFP