T20 World Cup final: Defending champion India chases glory against resurgent New Zealand

India faces New Zealand in the T20 World Cup final, aiming to defend their title and make history.

In its earlier modest avatar as the Motera, the current gigantic Narendra Modi Stadium, witnessed history. In this venue, Sunil Gavaskar became the first man to reach 10,000 Test runs with a late cut off Pakistani spinner Ijaz Fakih in 1987. And in 1994, Kapil Dev emerged as the highest wicket-taker in Tests, scalping Sri Lankan Hashan Tillakaratne as his 432nd victim.

These achievements, though, were at an individual level, while India searched for a collective team performance that would lend an aura to this ground. The Men in Blue lost the 2023 World Cup final to Australia in Ahmedabad on a November night that broke countless hearts.

Cut to the present, Suryakumar Yadav’s men have a chance to script history as Sunday’s (March 9) ICC T20 World Cup final against New Zealand beckons. Stepping in as defending champion, India seeks an encore.

Through the campaign, despite a solitary loss against South Africa, India found a way to dominate. Its tail-wind now is being propelled by opener Sanju Samson, spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and all-rounder Hardik Pandya.

Opener Samson has lent assurance and aggression. Nearly everyone has chipped in, and some have excelled in their secondary roles too. Seamer Shivam Dube batted well, and spinner Axar Patel displayed incredible fielding skills.

Still, there are concerns. Abhishek Sharma has a lone fifty, and Varun Chakaravarthy’s mystique as a spinner has been dented. Both stepped into this championship as ICC’s number one batter and bowler respectively in T20Is. Their mixed yield is another reflection of how sport can be a hard place.