Jasprit Bumrah and Sanju Samson (ANI Photo) No side has ever defended the T20 World Cup title. Suryakumar Yadav boys were the first to do it. At home no less. Here is the TOI report card of 15 men who have done it.GAUTAM GAMBHIR (COACH) – 9/10Two consecutive ICC trophies. The only man in history to win the T20 World Cup as a player and coach. His greatest contribution was framing the team’s ideology of “not playing for milestones”. He supported Abhishek Sharma and Varun Chakravarthy during their lean phase.jasprit bumrah – 10/10There is a reason why Suryakumar Yadav called him a “national treasure”. Indian cheat code! Named man of the match in the final for figures 4/15. Finished joint top wickettaker with 14 scalps and an economy of 6.21 — remarkable on surfaces where everyone else bled. In the semi-final, he gave away just 14 runs over two overs at the death when England needed 69 from the last five overs.M: 8| F: 14 | ER: 6.21 | Ave: 12.42 | Fri: 12:00 p.m.
Gautam Gambhir reflects on India’s World Cup win and Sanju Samson’s support in the tournament
SANJA SAMSON – 10/10When given a chance, he dissected opposition bowling, the narratives against him and years of grief. He started his scoring run with an unbeaten 97 against West Indies in the virtual quarter-final, followed by 89 against England in the semi-final and another 89 in the final – becoming only the second batsman to score three consecutive 80-plus scores in a T20 World Cup. His 89 was the highest individual score in the final of the Men’s T20 World Cup. He was aptly named Player of the Tournament.
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M: 5 | R: 321 | SR: 199.37 | Ave: 80.25 | 1950s: 3ISHAN KISHAN – 9/10The comeback stories at this World Cup have had a recurring theme. People who were written off are coming back with a bang. His arc was completed after he smashed 54 off 25 in the final. His best performance was against Pakistan where he led the Indian charge with 77 off 40. He finished as the fourth highest scorer of the tournament.M: 9 | R: 317 | SR: 193.29 | Ave: 35.22 | 1950s: 3HARDIK PANDYA – 8.5/10A reliable clutch professional that showed up when it mattered. He scored half-centuries each against Namibia and Zimbabwe, but his best came in the semi-final against England, where he scored a quick 27 off 12 to guide India to a total of 250 and over. His best with the ball was against Pakistan (2/16). In the semi-final, he bowled out the 19th for just nine runs as he took 2/38 to stop England.M: 9 | R: 217 | SR: 160.74 | Ave: 27.12 | 1950s: 2 wk: 9 | ER: 8.81 | BB: 2/16SHIVAM DUBE – 8/10He bailed India out of tough situations while batting down the order. His 31-ball 65 against the Netherlands helped India to 193 after struggling initially. He scored 24 runs in the final to take India to 255. He even played a clutch knock in the semi-final against England, hitting 43 off 25 to beat the wily Adil Rashid.M: 9 | R: 235 | SR: 169.06 | Ave: 39.16 | 1950s: 1 Week: 5 | IS: 14.12 | BB: 2/35AXAR PATEL – 8/10While he was not required with the bat, he came to the fore with the ball, taking 11 wickets, often bowling clutch overs. He took 3/27 in the final. In the semi-final, his two stunning catches completely changed the game.M: 7| R: 16 | SR: 106.66 | Ave: 5.33 | 1950s: 0
India head coach Gautam Gambhir with captain Suryakumar Yadav. (Photo Credit: BCCI)
SURJAKUMAR YADAV (CAPTAIN) – 7.5/10He led with clarity, instinct and energy. He read the game well and wasn’t afraid to back up his pitchers or mix up the batting order under pressure. But with the bat, he looked like a shadow of his former self. He scored a solitary half-century – an unbeaten 84 off 49 against USA – which saved India from early blushes.M: 9 | R: 242 | SR: 136.72 | Ave: 30.25 | 1950s: 1TILAK VARMA – 7.5/10He started at No. 3, but it didn’t work. He fell into the middle order and suddenly looked like a different batter. His importance was underlined by a 16-ball unbeaten 44 against Zimbabwe, 15-27 against the Windies and 7-21 against England in the semi-final, where he smashed three sixes off Jofro Archer.Inns: 9 | Number of runs: 207 | SR: 154.47 | Ave: 29.57 | 1950s: 0ARSHDEEP SINGH – 7.5/10He couldn’t quite replicate his 2024 heroics on high-scoring surfaces, but still produced crucial performances in the semi-final against England and the Super Eight match against Zimbabwe. The party trusted him all the time and he repaid that trust more often than not.M: 8| F: 9 | ER: 8.46 | Ave: 28.22 | SR: 20 | BB: 24.2VARUN CHAKRAVARTHY – 7/10It was a tournament of two halves. He took nine wickets in the group stage and bowled economically, but in the next five matches he missed a run at 11.84 and picked up just five more wickets. But 14 goals in the World Cup is not bad.M: 9 | F: 14 | ER: 9.25 | Ave: 20.50 | SR: 13.20 | BB: 3/7KULDEEP YADAV – 7/10He played only one game. He bowled a tight three-over spell against Pakistan in Colombo, taking 1/14. He watched the rest of the tournament from the trenches.M: 1 | F: 1 | ER: 4.66 | Ave: 14| SR: 18 | BB: 1/14MOHAMMED SIRAJ – 7/10Called into the squad as a last-minute replacement for Harshit Rana, he played only the opening match against the USA and departed with figures of 3/29, deputizing for Bumrah, who was ill.M: 1 | F: 3 | ER: 7.25 | Ave: 9.66 | SR: 8 | BB: 3/29ABHISHEK SHARMA – 6/10It was supposed to be his World Cup, but he lived on the edge of a cliff for seven matches, picking up three ducks in his first three innings. Opposition supporters tied him in knots. There was a ruckus about us letting him in the final. He silenced it most decisively when he scored the fastest half-century of the tournament off just 18 balls.M: 8| R: 141 | SR: 158.42 | Ave: 17.62 | 1950s: 2RINKU SINGH – 5/10His tournament was truncated and difficult. Batting in cameo roles that didn’t suit him, he lost his place in the XI at the end of the trade. But every Indian draft featured him; he contributed as a substitute fielder and remained a warm presence in what was clearly a painful month when he lost his father midway through the tournament.M: 5 | R: 24 | SR: 82.75 | Ave: 8.00 | 1950s: 0WASHINGTON SUNDAR – 5/10He played in just two matches, taking 0/36 against the Netherlands and 0/17 against South Africa with the ball. He scored just 11 runs in the one innings he batted against the Proteas. He was the team’s depth, used as cover.M: 2 | R: 11 | SR: 100.00 | Ave: 11:00 a.m. | 1950s: 0 Week: 0 | IS: 8.83
