Arshdeep Singh and Daryl Mitchell (Image credit: X)
NEW DELHI: India created history at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday, defeating New Zealand by 96 runs to become the first team to retain the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, claim a third title, and lift the trophy on home soil in front of 86,824 fans. Captain Suryakumar Yadav will now join the elite group of Indian captains to win a men’s cricket World Cup, maintaining an unbeaten record since taking charge in July 2024.The final had its share of drama during New Zealand’s chase, with India pacer Arshdeep Singh rattling Daryl Mitchell in a heated moment. In the fifth delivery of the 11th over, Arshdeep, reintroduced after the halfway mark, threw a follow-through ball at the stumps after collecting it, inadvertently hitting Mitchell on the thigh.
Mitchell, frustrated after earlier being sent for a six, charged at Arshdeep with animated gestures. Suryakumar quickly intervened, calming Mitchell, while the umpire spoke to Arshdeep. The pacer immediately apologized after delivering the final ball of the over, shaking hands and sharing a side hug with Mitchell.Reflecting on the incident in an interview with Harsha Bhogle, Arshdeep said: “Mai Mitchell ko sorry bolne gya tha [I just ran off to apologise to Mitchell]. The ball reverse-swung when I threw it and it hit him. Right now it feels great but the emotions will sink in the next 2-4 days. This is a very good team with a lot of match-winners, and the result will be cherry on the cake. As a bowler, our role is to restrict them to under 250 if we score 250 and when bowling first, it’s just to restrict them to as little as possible.”Earlier, India’s batters had set the tone, with Sanju Samson blazing 89 off 46 balls, complemented by Abhishek Sharma’s 52 and Ishan Kishan’s 54. Their power-hitting propelled India to 255/5, the second-highest total of the tournament and the highest ever posted in a T20 World Cup final. James Neesham briefly slowed the onslaught with three wickets in a single over, but Shivam Dube’s unbeaten 26 off eight balls took India past 250.In reply, Axar Patel and Jasprit Bumrah demolished New Zealand’s top order, reducing the visitors to 52/3 inside the powerplay, extinguishing any chance of a record chase. India lived up to the hype, sealing a historic victory and capturing their third T20 World Cup title, having previously triumphed in 2007 and 2024.
