When India were decimated by South Africa last month in the Super 8 stage, their vulnerabilities lay bare and the defeat pushed them to the brink, memories of November 19, 2023, resurfaced. For many, it raised the question of whether the Ahmedabad stadium was somehow cursed. On Sunday, the opening script seemed eerily familiar to that painful ODI World Cup final, the visiting team won the toss and sent India in to bat. But that was where the similarity ended. What followed was a complete rewrite.
India’s batters unleashed a brutal assault in front of more than 100,000 spectators at the Narendra Modi Stadium as the hosts stormed to history, becoming the first team to successfully defend the T20 World Cup title, the first to win it on home soil, and the first to claim a third world T20 crown.
Facing a nervous and erratic New Zealand bowling attack, India’s top order produced a relentless display of power-hitting. Three of the top batters struck half-centuries as India piled up a daunting 255 for 5 – the highest ever posted in a T20 World Cup final. The bowlers then completed the job with authority, never allowing New Zealand to settle as they bundled the visitors for 159 runs with an over to spare. The 96-run demolition job is the biggest winning margin in a T20 World Cup final.
IND vs NZ, T20 World Cup 2026 Final: How India beat New Zealand to script history – As it happened…
Asked to bat first, Abhishek Sharma, who had come under scrutiny after scoring just 89 runs in the lead-up to the final, waited an over against off-spinner Glenn Phillips before launching a ferocious counterattack that silenced his critics. Sanju Samson joined him as the pair tore into the New Zealand attack.
Abhishek raced to a 17-ball fifty, the fastest by any batter in a T20 World Cup final, as India surged to 92 without loss in the powerplay. New Zealand finally broke the 98-run opening stand when Rachin Ravindra struck with his left-arm spin, having Abhishek caught behind. But the onslaught continued.
Ishan Kishan joined Samson and kept the scoreboard racing. Kishan struck a brisk 54, while Samson brought up his third successive half-century before shifting gears further, smashing Ravindra for three consecutive sixes.
Jimmy Neesham briefly offered New Zealand a lifeline with a dramatic over, claiming three wickets. He removed Samson, Kishan and captain Suryakumar Yadav, the last two off successive deliveries, to momentarily halt India’s charge.
Yet Shivam Dube ensured the momentum remained firmly with India. The all-rounder finished the innings with a stunning flourish, smashing an unbeaten 26 off just eight balls, including three fours and two sixes off Neesham in the final over.
Chasing a daunting target, New Zealand were quickly undone by scoreboard pressure as their batters took desperate risks against the Indian bowlers and lost three early wickets. Their biggest threats, Finn Allen (9) and the dangerous Glenn Phillips (5), fell cheaply, dealing a major blow to the chase and leaving the visitors struggling almost immediately.
Despite fighting knocks from Tim Seifert (52) and Mitchell Santner (43), New Zealand never truly recovered from the early collapse. Axar Patel (3/27) and Jasprit Bumrah (4/15) led the charge with the ball, dismantling the Kiwi batting line-up as India sealed a commanding victory. New Zealand were eventually bowled out for 159 in 19 overs.
