Rohit Sharma Hails Team India's Historic T20 World Cup 2026 Triumph

Taking to Instagram after the Men in Blue's historic victory, Rohit lauded the team's performance throughout the tournament and acknowledged the contributions of every player involved in the campaign.

"Great effort from the entire team, Congratulations," Rohit wrote on Instagram.

Sanju Samson made 321 runs so far in five innings at an average of 80.25 and a strike rate of 199.37, with 27 fours and 24 sixes, and ended as the third-highest run-getter in the tournament. He also surpassed Virat Kohli's total of 319 runs in the 2014 T20WC edition to have the most runs by an Indian during a single T20WC edition.

However, Pakistan batter Sahibzada Farhan overtook Virat's record earlier, ending the tournament as the leading run-getter with 383 runs at an average of 76.60 and a strike rate of 160.25, with two centuries and two fifties.

Sanju Samson's brilliant run continued as he went past legendary Virat Kohli to become the Indian batter with the most runs in a single T20 World Cup and also joined Virat and Shahid Afridi in an elite list of batters with fifties in T20 World Cup semifinal and final both.

His knock has overtaken West Indies batter Marlon Samuels' 85* against England in the 2016 T20WC final and New Zealand star Kane Williamson's 85 against Australia in the 2021 edition final. He owns the highest score by an Indian in a T20 World Cup knockout game.

He also joined Virat and Shahid Afridi, the Pakistani all-rounder, as the third player to post fifties in the T20WC semifinal and final.

Virat had scored fifties in the 2014 T20 World Cup semifinal: 72* against South Africa and 77* against Sri Lanka in the final. On the other hand, Afridi made 51 against South Africa and later 54* against Sri Lanka at Lord's in the final.

Sanju has also joined Sri Lankan legend Mahela Jayawardene, Babar Azam, Virat, KL Rahul, Kusal Mendis, and Sahibzada as the batter with three successive 50-plus scores in T20WCs, the joint-most by a batter.

Coming to the match, NZ won the toss and elected to field first. However, a return-to-form, record-breaking fifty from Abhishek Sharma (52 in 21 balls, with six fours and three sixes) and his 98-run stand with Samson made NZ regret the decision.

Later, Samson stitched a century stand with Ishan Kishan (54 in 25 balls, with four boundaries and four sixes) to take India past the 200-run mark in the 16th over. After a brief slowdown, Shivam Dube (26* in eight balls, with three fours and two sixes) made some valuable runs to take India to 255/5, the highest total in T20WC finals.

James Neesham (3/46) was the leading wicket-taker for NZ.

In the run-chase of 256 runs, Axar Patel (3/23) and Jasprit Bumrah (4/15) reduced the Kiwis to 72/5, despite a half-century from Tim Seifert (52 in 26 balls, with two fours and five sixes). Despite a brief partnership between Daryl Mitchell (17) and skipper Mitchell Santner (43 in 35 balls, with three fours and two sixes), India kept chipping in with wickets, and the Kiwis were bundled out for just 159 runs.

- ANI