Two T20 World Cups in two years. Three scores above 250 in one tournament. A 96-run final victory. India’s rivals must look at this team and wonder what it is going to take to stop them. The answer, based on recent evidence, is that nobody has found it yet. India crushed New Zealand in Sunday’s final to become the only men’s team in history to win back-to-back T20 World Cup titles.
The final was played at a ground bursting with 100,000 of India’s most fervent supporters, and the home side did not disappoint. Their batters hit 255 off their 20 overs, powered by a record-equalling powerplay score of 92 for no loss and three top-order fifties. Sharma, Samson, and Kishan all delivered when it mattered most, and Dube’s late hitting ensured the total was as large as possible.
New Zealand, who had given a good account of themselves throughout the tournament, were outclassed. Their bowling attack was expensive in the powerplay and incapable of containing India’s middle order. Their batting, which had featured some outstanding performances including Allen’s semi-final century, was simply insufficient on the night, managing only 159 in reply to India’s 255.
Bumrah was the destroyer with ball in hand, three wickets taken with his slow yorker variations. He has been one of the dominant bowlers of this World Cup, and the final was his most important individual contribution. Player of the Match by a comfortable margin, he gave the crowd one final exhibition of fast bowling at its most technically perfect.
India win. India retain. India make history. The gap between them and the rest of the T20 world grows wider, and for every rival captain planning their next campaign, India’s dominance is the defining problem to solve.
