When Tilak Varma took the catch for the 10th New Zealand wicket, despite Ravi Shastri thinking it was the 9th, India had achieved what everyone thought they would even before the Kiwis finished their powerplay - win the Men's ICC T20 World Cup 2026 title.
The fact that India's former player and coach, known for the iconic "Dhoni finishes off in style" line, bungled this historic moment so badly by virtually being asleep does not do justice for the occasion.
India achieved what no team in the men's game has done before - successfully defend the T20 World Cup crown and also become the first host nation to win the title on home soil. That these two feats have only been achieved in the 10th edition of the T20 World Cup prove that doing so is incredibly difficult.
This moment deserved a line similar to what Shastri uttered in 2011 or what Ian Bishop bellowed in 2016, but in the grand scheme of things it will not really take the shine off India's achievement.
India have reached the God-Mode level in T20 cricket. Only that this is not a video game! This is real life and real sport. They have attained the level what West Indies did back in the 1970s and 1980s and what Australia did from the late 1990s to the late 2000s. This is utter dominance.
They have also achieved this level in the most-volatile format of the game where even one good or bad over can decide the match result. This is also the format where we see the most upsets as the level between the top teams and the rest isn't too vast.
Sanju Samson.
Photo Credit: PTI
IPL finally bearing fruits for India
India won their first T20 World Cup title in 2007. That brought about the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008. And for the next decade and more, India only came close to winning another title once in 2014, where they lost to Sri Lanka in the final.
That and the 2016 campaign on home soil, where they reached the semifinals, were largely led by Virat Kohli's absolute brilliance. India were not bearing the rewards on the field what the IPL was allowing it to bear off it.
While the BCCI kept getting richer, the Indian T20 team wasn't getting anywhere close to being serious challengers for the ultimate prize. India had a tame 2021 campaign and went out meekly in the semis against England in 2022.
The talent was there but the mentality wasn't matching up to it. Under former captain Rohit Sharma, India started talking about a shift in mentality ahead of the 2022 campaign in Australia. But during the tournament, they were hardly walking the talk.
That 10-wicket loss against eventual champions England forced the complete switch. Rohit led from the front and went hammer-and-tongs from the get go. He extended this new mantra even in 50-over cricket.
His new mode, akin to Sanath Jayasuriya, Adam Gilchrist and Virender Sehwag, bore fruit and India stormed into the ICC ODI World Cup final in 2023. But at a jam-packed Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, India got unlucky with the toss and had to bat first on a slow pitch.
As the batting got better in the second innings, Travis Head made merry and Australia won their sixth ODI World Cup. Despite the heart-breaking upset, Rohit didn't abandon his strategy.
At the 2024 T20 World Cup in USA and West Indies, he carried that fearless aggression with the bat. His breathtaking 92 off 41 balls in St Lucia against the same Aussie side paved the way for India's eventual triumph in the tournament.
Jasprit Bumrah.
Photo Credit: PTI
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New guard replaces the old
Rohit, Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja announced their retirements from T20Is within minutes of India winning the final against South Africa. Suryakumar Yadav became the new captain and new faces came into the side.
But the mentality didn't go away. On the contrary, India became an even more attacking side with almost all batters from 1-7 capable of scoring in excess of a 150-strike rate, depending on the conditions.
India kept winning all their bilateral series home and away. The big question was - can they replicate the same in a home World Cup keeping in mind the ghosts of 2016 and 2023 weren't completely gone yet.
The surfaces during the just-concluded T20 World Cup weren't typical 'roads' as the ICC takes the final call. India weren't at their fluent best during the tournament and were completely outplayed by South Africa in their opening Super 8 tie.
That seemed to jolt them back into form. They smashed Zimbabwe scoring in excess of 250. They comfortably chased a near 200-run target against a dangerous West Indies side and qualified for the semifinals.
They had a bit of luck going their way as prior to their tie against the Windies, the men from the Caribbean lost a crucial match against the Proteas. A victory there would've knocked India out then and there.
But this Indian team is fearless and brave and everyone knows 'fortune favours the brave!'
You need luck in a major tournament. It deserted India on Nov. 19, 2023 with the toss, but favoured them on Feb. 26, 2026 as West Indies lost.
Relatively, the toss has the least impact in T20 cricket. But India don't really win crucial tosses, and in a way, this team don't really rely on the flip of the coin falling their way. India lost the toss and were sent into bat by England on a 'road' at the Wankhede Stadium in the semis.
Sanju Samson and co. posted a mammoth 253/7. The fact that they managed to win this by seven runs showed that batting second was easier despite India's better bowling attack.
India.
Photo Credit: PTI
Three-time world champions
India again lost the toss in the final on March 8. Despite Suryakumar saying he wanted to bat first, there was always the feeling that it could be a form of a showing of bravado rather than what he and India actually wanted considering the 2023 final loss where similar chronology unfolded.
But in T20 cricket, this Indian team can out-bat any team, especially batting first. Abhishek Sharma and Samson gave India the perfect start as they blitzed New Zealand's bowlers.
Despite a slight slowing down around the 16th-19th over, India scored a record-breaking 255/5. Almost all genuine cricket enthusiasts knew that India would be crowned as champions.
New Zealand had a potent batting line-up but against a Jasprit Bumrah-led attack, it was always a near-impossible situation. When a team has a generational bowler, arguably the greatest ever, they are always starting as favourites.
India kept picking wickets at regular intervals as New Zealand's innings folded for 159. The victory margin was so huge that when the final wicket went it didn't really draw the kind of reaction which was seen when MS Dhoni hit that six 15 years ago.
Maybe Shastri's commentary was expected as the result was a foregone conclusion. But it needed the umph for what India had achieved.
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This team is still very young and the conveyor belt is brimming with talent. There is no doubt India are already favourites to win the next edition in 2028 in Australia and New Zealand.
Many are deriding India's achievement as they won at home. But as mentioned above, this is the first time in 10 editions that a team has won the T20 World Cup on home soil. India's other two victories have come in foreign conditions as well.
Right now, they are undisputedly the best team in men's T20I cricket. They are playing the game how it's meant to be played - fearless. Anyone can lose a match in this format, but this approach has yielded two world titles. In a way, the very first title was also won due to some bold cricket played by the then unheralded stars.
The plan is set. Keep attacking according to the conditions. It helps that they have the cheat-code even in God-Mode - Bumrah. What will Indian cricket look like after he retires, one can't predict. But they will produce batters who relentlessly attack the opposition bowling.
Some are unable to fathom India's success on the field. No one complained when West Indies and Australia ruled the sport. It is India's turn now. It is up to other cricketing teams to raise their game and challenge India.
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