India beat New Zealand by 96 runs to win the T20 World Cup 2026, becoming the first team to win at home and back-to-back. Opener Abhishek Sharma thanked the team for their support, admitting he doubted himself during a tough tournament.
India opener and World No.1 T20I batter Abhishek Sharma expressed gratitude to the team management for supporting him during a difficult phase in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, admitting that the tournament had been challenging for him personally.
A dominant batting show by the top-order of Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, and Ishan Kishan, and later fiery spells by Jasprit Bumrah and Axar Patel, helped Team India make history, beating New Zealand by 96 runs at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday. India became the first team to win the T20 WC title at home, the first team to win it back-to-back, and the first team to win the three T20 WC crowns.
'Even I was doubting myself': Abhishek Sharma
After the T20 World Cup win, the left-handed batter reflected on his journey during the competition. Abhishek said he had doubts about his own performance but credited the support of the captain and coach for helping him stay focused. "The one thing was very clear, I wanted to share before as well, but today is the best day. The captain and coach had faith in me. Even I was doubting myself. I had never experienced this before; it was a tough tournament. I was just doing my process, trying to take it one game after another, but it wasn't easy. But I love this team because the way they backed me," Abhishek said.
The young opener acknowledged that despite performing well for India over the past year, he struggled to replicate the same form during the high-pressure global tournament. "It wasn't easy for me because going through the whole year I was doing well for the team, but in the big tournament I wasn't able to. But the faith the team and management showed in me. I got emotional in the middle of the tournament and wanted to talk to the coach and captain, and they said you'll win us the big games. The crowd has supported us a lot even through tough times," he added.
Teammates Reflect on Victory
After winning the T20 World Cup, all-rounder Washington Sundar credited the support staff for their constant support throughout the tournament. "Credit to all the support staff. They've been amazing. Amazing feeling for everyone to be part of this experience, and I'm sure there's more to come."
Mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy, who scalped 14 wickets in the 2026 edition, felt amazing after India won consecutive titles. "Feels amazing. back-to-back trophies. Feel very happy for Abhishek, he scored today. We used to keep chatting about what's happening, nothing is working out for us, but yeah, now we've won the World Cup."
Match Highlights: How India Clinched the Title
Coming to the match, NZ put India to bat first after winning the toss, Samson (89 in 46 balls, with five fours and eight sixes), Abhishek Sharma (52 in 21 balls, with six fours and three sixes) and Ishan Kishan (54 in 25 balls, with four boundaries and four sixes) and Shivam Dube (26* in 8 balls, with three fours and two sixes) took India to 255/5. Later on, despite a fifty from Tim Seifert (52 in 26 balls, with two fours and five sixes), the Kiwis had to bow down to the sheer greatness of Axar (3/27) and Bumrah (4/15) as Men in Blue secure their third T20WC title in style, becoming the first team to defend the title, and also the first host nation to win the trophy. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)