"India is best white-ball team, no second opinion about it": Irfan Pathan
Ahmedabad, March 9
Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan praised India's T20 World Cup win against New Zealand, calling them the best white-ball team.
He credited skipper Suryakumar Yadav's captaincy and Gautam Gambhir's team assembly, highlighting Gambhir's humility in giving credit to others.
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.
"It is the best white-ball team; there is no second opinion about it. The way Suryakumar Yadav captained, the way Gautam Gambhir assembled this team, and the biggest thing is the way Gautam gave credit to everyone, the way we are winning back-to-back World Cups, we feel very good, it gives a lot of peace," Pathan told the reporters.
Shivam Dube's childhood coach and joint secretary of Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), Nilesh Bhosle, congratulated Team India for their historic T20 WC win, saying it's a proud moment for all Indians. He highlighted the team's confidence, citing Shivam Dube's 24 runs in the final over as a sign of their sky-high batting confidence.
"Congratulations to Team India. It's a moment of pride for all Indians. Every player has confidence in themselves. Shivam Dubey scored 24 runs in the final over, which shows that the confidence of the Indian team's batsmen was sky-high. The team was playing to win," Nilesh Bhosle said.
India beat New Zealand handsomely by 96 runs in Ahmedabad, becoming the first team to win the T20 World Cup on home soil, also the first to win consecutive titles, and the only team to lift the trophy three times (2007, 2024, and 2026).
Anil Patel, Secretary of the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA), also congratulated India on the T20 World Cup win, crediting ICC Chairman Jay Shah's leadership.
"Congratulations to all Indians for India's victory... We got his victory under the leadership of ICC Chairman Jai Shah... This is a matter of great pride for us and for all Indians... The Gujarat Government Corporations and all the police personnel and officers helped us very well, and we organised it very well," Patel said.
JD(U) leader Nishant Kumar also extended his wishes to India on their T20 World Cup win, urging the team to keep delivering. He proudly highlighted Ishan Kishan's contribution, saying he's brought glory to Bihar, their home state.
"I extend my heartfelt congratulations. The team must continue to deliver such performances ahead as well. Ishan Kishan has brought glory to Bihar. It is a matter of pride for us that we are from the same state as him," JD(U) leader Nishant Kumar told the reporters.
— ANI
Reader Comments
A historic win on home soil! Makes me so proud. But can we please give more credit to the bowlers? Bumrah and Axar were phenomenal. The batting gets all the headlines, but they won us the match.
Gambhir's role as a mentor is being highlighted rightly. He's built a team culture where everyone is a star. No big egos, just performance. That's the real victory.
Watching from the US, and the energy was incredible! That final over by Dube was pure entertainment. So happy for Ishan Kishan too, representing his state with such pride.
While the win is fantastic, the article and some comments are getting too political. Can we just celebrate cricket? The mention of government and police feels unnecessary. Let's keep the focus on the 11 men on the field.
Three-time champions! What an achievement. The bench strength is incredible. When you have players like Samson coming in and performing, you know the system is working. Jai Hind!
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