India Makes T20 World Cup History With Back-to-Back Title Triumph

Fiery spells by Axar Patel and Jasprit Bumrah and a dominant show by the top-order of Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, and Ishan Kishan helped Team India make history, beating New Zealand by 96 runs at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium.

In an X post, President Droupadi Murmu wrote, "Heartiest congratulations to Team India, which scaled several peaks of history by winning the ICC Men's T20 World Cup emphatically. India has the proud distinction of being the only country to win the cup three times. It is also the only team to win the cup twice in a row. This brings immense joy and pride to our cricket-loving people. It is also a marker of the rich talent pool we have among our youth in diverse fields. Every single player, entire management, and the support staff deserve the highest praise for this collective triumph. I wish our cricket team sustained glory in the future."

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 it three T20 WC crowns.

PM Modi in an X post wrote, "Champions! Congratulations to the Indian team on winning the ICC Men's T20 World Cup! This remarkable triumph reflects exceptional skills, determination, and teamwork. They have shown outstanding grit through the tournament. This victory has filled every Indian heart with pride and joy. Well done, Team India!"

Chairman and CEO of Microsoft, Satya Nadella, also extended his wishes for the Indian team. He lauded India's ace seamer Jasprit Bumrah and Sanju Samson for their outstanding performance throughout the T20 WC.

"Congratulations to Team India on a fantastic T20 World Cup win Tough luck today, New Zealand. @Jaspritbumrah93, once again a match-winner when it mattered most. @IamSanjuSamsonwhat a tournament and what an impact. Absolutely incredible," Nadella wrote in an X post.

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