The road from pain to pride: India’s journey from 2023 WC loss to 2026 T20 WC victory

Thanks to incredible batting performances by Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, and Ishan Kishan, and lethal bowling by Axar Patel and Jasprit Bumrah, the Indian cricket team won the T20 World Cup 2026 title by defeating New Zealand by 96 runs in the T20 World Cup 2026 final played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday. With this victory, India made history by becoming the first team to win back-to-back ICC T20 World Cups, the first to claim three T20 World Cup titles, and the first host nation to lift the trophy on home soil.

After being invited to bat first, the Indian team scored 255/5 in 20 overs. In response, New Zealand were bowled out on just 159 runs. For India, Abhishek Sharma (52), Sanju Samson (89), and Ishan Kishan (54) made crucial contributions, laying the foundation for India's historic win. While in the bowling department, Jasprit Bumrah took 4 wickets, and Axar Patel took 3 wickets. 

The Ahmedabad curse finally broken

Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad — The same ground where the Indian team, captained by Rohit Sharma, lost the final of the 2023 World Cup. The pain of that loss still stings the Indian team and Indian cricket fans. But since that day, the entire world has seen the Indian team's dominance. From the 2023 World Cup to now, India has played a total of 32 ICC tournament matches, of which it has won 30. India first won the T20 World Cup 2024 title undefeated in Barbados under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma. Then, next year, India also won the Champions Trophy 2025 in Dubai, finishing the tournament undefeated.

Later that year, Indian women won the 2025 Women's ODI World Cup at home. And now India has won its second consecutive T20 World Cup, on the same ground where 1.4 billion Indians were heartbroken. 

Road to the 2026 T20 World Cup title victory

Before the start of the T20 World Cup 2026, the Indian team was playing very dominant cricket in T20Is. Under head coach Gautam Gambhir & captain Suryakumar Yadav’s guidance, the Indian team didn’t even lose any T20I series, whether home series or away series. Everyone was feeling that India would be the favourites to retain their defending champions title at home. 

India was placed in Group A along with archrivals Pakistan, the USA, Namibia, and the Netherlands. The Indian team started its campaign with a 29-run win against the USA, followed by defeating Namibia by 93 runs, then Pakistan by 61 runs, and the Netherlands by 17 runs. The Indian team remained undefeated in the group stage, but Team India was not able to play to its potential. Right from the beginning of the World Cup, broadcasters were giving a 300 alert before every match of India, but Team India had to struggle to win every group match except Pakistan.

The saving grace for India was that in every match of the group stage, a different player stepped up and delivered a match-winning performance. Against the USA, Captain Suryakumar Yadav scored 84 runs, while Hardik Pandya scored a fifty against Namibia. Ishan Kishan dominated against Pakistan, and Shivam Dube led the team to victory against the Netherlands. However, despite these individual performances, Team India struggled to perform as a cohesive unit.

All the fans were worried about Team India’s performance, fearing that they might struggle against the stronger teams. Those fears seemed to come true when, in the very first Super 8 match, India suffered a heavy 76-run defeat against South Africa at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. After that loss, critics heavily criticised the team.

However, from that point onward, Team India made a bold move. Sanju Samson, who had earlier been dropped from the playing XI due to poor form, was brought back into the playing XI as an opener. His return completely changed the team’s fortunes. India bounced back strongly, defeating Zimbabwe and the West Indies to secure a place in the semi-finals.

Following this, in the semi-final, India edged past England by 7 runs in a thrilling contest. After that victory, the team once again returned to Ahmedabad—the same ground where the dreams of 1.4 billion Indians had been shattered two years earlier. But this time, in the final, India proved why they were considered the favourites of the tournament, outclassing New Zealand right from the very start of the match. 

Sanju Samson became the player of the tournament, scoring 321 runs in just 5 matches, including 3 half-centuries. While Jasprit Bumrah became the player of the final, taking 4 wickets. Apart from that, Ishan Kishan also scored 317 runs, including 2 fifties. Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakaravarthy took 14 wickets each. While Axar Patel took 11 wickets. Often known for his fielding in the tournament, he will also be remembered for his catches of Harry Brook and Will Jacks in the semi-finals.