When cricket’s organisers chose “Feel the Thrill” as the tournament anthem — a song built around the lyric “This is our year” — they could not have known how perfectly those words would resonate with the Indian team’s journey through the T20 World Cup. India defeated New Zealand by 96 runs in the final to retain the title and become the first men’s team to win consecutive T20 World Cups. It was, without question, their year.
The match unfolded in front of a capacity crowd of 100,000, almost all of them dressed in India’s distinctive blue. From the moment Abhishek Sharma struck the first boundary of the innings, the atmosphere was electric, and it never dimmed. India’s powerplay of 92 without loss — equalling the World Cup record — sent the crowd into raptures from which they never quite descended.
Sanju Samson (89 off 46), Abhishek Sharma (50 off 18), and Ishan Kishan (54 off 25) were the batting heroes of a first innings that ended at the impressive total of 255. New Zealand’s bowlers were overwhelmed by India’s intent and execution, with multiple seamers going for 20-plus runs in their opening spells. The pitch was good, but India’s batting would have been devastating on any surface.
Bumrah’s three-wicket haul with slow yorkers ended New Zealand’s chase at 159, 96 runs short of the target. The man-of-the-match award was his, a well-deserved recognition of a tournament in which he has been consistently extraordinary.
India are world champions, again, and the feeling that this title was always destined for them grows stronger with every match they play. Feel the thrill, indeed.