By – Jawahar Mishra
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Attack , only attack. Attacking batting, attacking bowling and along with that, attacking fielding—with the attractive amalgamation of these three, India delivered a spectacular and captivating performance on the field, securing a grand and massive victory, and becoming the T20 Cricket World Cup champion for a record third time.
From the very beginning, India’s performance on the pitch was that of a champion team. In all three departments of the game, India demonstrated its supremacy, forcing the opposing team, New Zealand, to endure a tremendous and overwhelming defeat.
In this match, New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner won the toss and decided to bowl first. The Indian team had a strong start, and Abhishek Sharma, who had been struggling with form, completed his half-century in just 18 balls. Abhishek Sharma was out after scoring 52 runs off 21 balls with the help of 6 fours and 3 sixes. After this, Sanju Samson also completed his half-century. Playing brilliantly, Samson took the team to a strong position. Meanwhile, Ishan Kishan also played a half-centurion innings.
A Rain of Records
During this period, the Indian team posted a score of 92 runs in just 6 overs, which is the highest Powerplay score in the history of the T20 World Cup. Additionally, the Indian openers shared a partnership of over 50 runs for the first wicket, seen for the first time in a T20 World Cup final. Prior to this, no team had ever recorded a 50-run opening partnership in a World Cup final.
Powerful Partnership between Samson and Abhishek
India made no changes to the Playing-11 for the title clash and maintained faith in Abhishek Sharma. The duo of Abhishek and Sanju did not disappoint and gave the team a massive start. Matt Henry started the bowling for New Zealand. Samson could not score any runs off the first four balls, but he opened India’s account with a six on the fifth ball. Soon after, Abhishek also found his rhythm and started playing freely. Samson and Abhishek put pressure on the New Zealand bowlers and gave the team a big start. Both these batsmen shared a half-century partnership for the first wicket. This is the first time in a T20 World Cup final that a team has shared a 50+ run partnership for the first wicket. Previously, Kamran Akmal and Shahzaib Hasan shared a 48-run partnership against Sri Lanka in 2009. Both batsmen shared a 98-run partnership for the first wicket in the final match. This partnership ended when Rachin Ravindra dismissed Abhishek. Abhishek was out after scoring 52 runs off 21 balls with six fours and three sixes.
Highest Powerplay Score in World Cup History
India scored 92 runs without loss during the Powerplay in the T20 World Cup final against New Zealand. This is the highest score ever made in the Powerplay in the history of the tournament. The team surpassed the West Indies, who scored 92 runs for the loss of one wicket in the Powerplay against Afghanistan in 2024. Samson scored his third consecutive half-century, leading India toward a massive total. However, Samson could not complete a century and was out after scoring 89 runs off 46 balls, including five fours and eight sixes.
Three Massive Overs for India
India secured three big overs where the batsmen extracted 20+ runs. Indian batsmen particularly targeted New Zealand fast bowler Lockie Ferguson. Coming in to bowl the fourth over of India’s innings, Ferguson was first targeted by Abhishek, who hit a four and a six. Following this, Samson hit a six and a four. In this way, both batsmen took a total of 24 runs from Ferguson’s over, which is the joint most expensive over in a T20 World Cup final. Later, 24 runs also came in the 12th over of India’s innings. At this time, Samson and Ishan targeted Ferguson. Subsequently, Shivam Dube took 24 runs from the final over bowled by James Neesham, pushing the team’s score past 250.
Neesham Puts the Brakes on India’s Run Rate
The Indian team was heading towards nearly 300 runs, but James Neesham, coming in to bowl the 16th over, dealt three blows to India in a single over, which impacted India’s run rate. Neesham dismissed Samson on the very first ball. Then, on the fifth ball of the over, he claimed Ishan Kishan as his victim. After this, captain Suryakumar Yadav, who came in as the new batsman, lost his wicket on the very first ball and was out without opening his account. Only one run came from this over. Shivam Dube targeted Neesham in the final over, allowing the team to score 51 runs in the last four overs. For New Zealand, Neesham took three wickets, while Matt Henry and Rachin Ravindra took one wicket each.
“In reply, New Zealand attempted a steady chase but struggled to keep up with the required run rate as India’s bowlers struck at crucial intervals.
With the ball, Jasprit Bumrah and Axar Patel spearheaded India’s dominant bowling performance, ensuring New Zealand never truly got an upper hand in their chase. Bumrah showed his class yet again by producing a sensational spell, claiming four wickets while maintaining relentless pressure with his trademark accuracy and pace variations.
New Zealand never looked comfortable in the steep chase. Despite a few attempts to counterattack, wickets fell at regular intervals as India’s bowlers tightened their grip on the contest. Jasprit Bumrah led the charge with a superb spell of 4 for 15, dismantling the middle order with his trademark precision, while Axar Patel chipped in with crucial breakthroughs. The Black Caps were eventually bowled out for 159 in 19 overs, bringing the match to a decisive end.”
