Wednesday’s T20 World Cup final between India and New Zealand was many things: a batting exhibition, a bowling masterclass, and a celebration of 100,000 supporters in full voice. Above all else, it was history being made in real time. India’s 96-run victory made them the first men’s team to win the T20 World Cup in consecutive editions, a feat that cements their place in cricket’s record books for generations to come.
The batting performance in the first innings was the stuff of legend. Abhishek Sharma’s 18-ball fifty set the tone during a record-equalling powerplay of 92 for no loss. Sanju Samson (89 off 46) and Ishan Kishan (54 off 25) continued the assault through the middle overs, and India reached 191 for one at the drinks break after 14 overs. A total of 255 was eventually reached — India’s third score above 250 in this tournament.
New Zealand’s bowlers were unable to restrict India’s scoring at any stage. Ferguson conceded 24 in his first over, Henry 21, and Duffy 15 on recall from the bench. Jimmy Neesham’s over of three wickets for one run was a statistical curiosity, while Suryakumar Yadav’s golden duck was the match’s most surprising moment. Dube’s 26 off eight balls closed the innings on a high.
Bumrah’s man-of-the-match performance with the ball (three wickets, slow yorkers) sealed the result, and New Zealand were dismissed for 159. Their fourth World Cup final loss since 2015 confirmed a pattern that is becoming painful to observe.
India are champions of the world, back-to-back, at home. Cricket may never see anything quite like this again.