That’s how champions work. Gautam Gambhir and his management team did themselves proud when Abhishek Sharma lit up the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday, hammering the New Zealand bowlers in the final of the Men’s World T20 2026. Abhishek smashed 52 balls off 21 balls, hitting three sixes and six boundaries and finding the fence at will. | Final update – Scorecard |
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Apart from his fifty against Zimbabwe in the Super 8 match in Chennai, Abhishek has endured miserable returns in the T20 World Cup. He managed just nine runs against England in the semi-final as India were hammered for 253 at the Wankhede Stadium.
The scrutiny was so intense that the legendary Sunil Gavaskar, who rarely seeks changes in the established line-up, suggested the team management to drop Abhishek Sharma, saying that the young starter had not learned from his mistakes.
However, India did not press the panic button. They did not drop either Abhishek Sharma or Varun Chakravarthy, who were taken to the cleaners as England threatened to chase down the target.
Abhishek celebrated his 50th with a kiss towards the dressing room. The entire kick-off was on the feet, with Hardik Pandya leading the cheers and Gambhir acknowledging the young opener’s effort in the middle.
NOT SMOOTHLY, BUT DESTRUCTIVELY
Abhishek trained late into the evening on the eve of the grand finale and the result of that hard work was visible. He and Sanju Samson got off to a cautious start, managing just 12 runs in the first two overs. Screengrab by X
However, the floodgates opened when Abhishek danced down the track and smashed Jacob Duffy. He then waited for the next delivery to come to bat and belted it straight down the ground. Samson joined the side with a boundary on the final delivery.
Abhishek was still not at his best, but he took on Lockie Ferguson and relished the pace that came into the bat. He bowled the first delivery without worrying about the sharp bouncer and then launched another over long on.
Lockie’s first over cost 24 runs.
It was a huge error from Mitchell Santner when New Zealand fielded off-spin Cole McConchie, who dismissed Ryan Rickelton and Quinton de Kock – two left-handers – in the power play during the semi-final.
Santner also did not turn to Glenn Phillips again after conceding just five runs in the over in the off.
Abhishek didn’t complain. Enjoying the pace, he smashed it into the stands, sparing Matt Henry, the BlackCaps’ most reliable bowler.
By the end of the fifth match, Abhishek had raced to 31 off 13 balls.
Abhishek then shifted into sixth gear and crashed into Jacob Duffy in the final over. He got the outside edge to start again before growing in confidence to take one past halfway for a six. He then chipped a pull shot to reach his fifty in just 18 balls.
Abhishek looked set to face the spinners as well, but Rachin Ravindra struck a crucial blow, playing a wide delivery that was safely caught by Tim Seifert.
SANJU, ISHAN AND DUBE POWER INDIA TO 255
The carnage continued after the first wicket as Ishan Kishan joined Sanju Samson to keep the score up. The pair added 105 runs for the second wicket in just eight overs to take India past 120 in 10 overs, with Samson bringing up a 33-ball fifty. Although Mitchell Santner hit the brakes briefly, the momentum quickly returned when Samson hit Lockie Ferguson in the 12th over, bringing in 24 runs. Samson showed excellent awareness of the game and combined power with timing before unleashing Rachin Ravindra for three consecutive sixes in the 15th over as India raced to 203 for 1 in 15 overs.
Samson, who had already scored 97 in the Super 8 against West Indies and 89 in the semi-final against England, looked set for a hundred but fell to a stunning 97 off James Neesham’s full toss in the sixteenth over. He finished the tournament with 24 sixes – the most by any player in a T20 World Cup – while also breaking Virat Kohli’s record for the highest score by an Indian in a T20 World Cup final and surpassing Marlon Samuels’ 85 for the highest score in a Men’s T20 World Cup final.
Neesham struck again in the same over to remove the well-built Ishan Kishan and skipper Suryakumar Yadav, claiming three wickets in six deliveries as India slumped from 203 for 1 to 220 for 4 at the end of the 18th over.
Hardik Pandya uncharacteristically struggled to get going as he found it difficult to keep his shape while attempting big shots and eventually fell to 18 off 13 balls.
Thanks to Shivam Dube’s thunderbolt in the final over, India piled on 24 runs in the last six deliveries to finish with 255 for 4 – the highest total recorded in a Men’s T20 World Cup final.
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Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
08 March 2026 21:31 IST
