India defended their T20 World Cup crown as they comfortably beat New Zealand by 96 runs in the final at the packed Narendra Modi Stadium today.
Sanju Samson once again delivered a match-winning innings, hitting a blistering 89 off 46 to help his team to a formidable total.
Axar Patel and Jasprit Bumrah then starred with the ball, as the duo claimed seven wickets to help India win their third T20 World Cup title.
New Zealand elected to bowl first, but the decision backfired as the Indian openers put on 92 in the powerplay overs without losing a wicket.
Sanju Samson and Rohit Sharma came out firing on all cylinders, punishing the bowlers all over the ground.
Sharma struck a quickfire half-century before being dismissed by Rachin Ravindra.
Samson and Ishan Kishan continued the healthy run rate by hitting some exciting boundaries and sixes.
The former missed out on his century, but his 89-run knock ensured a big total for the Men in Blue.
New Zealand made a good comeback in the final five overs, with James Neesham picking up three wickets in one over.
However, India reached a formidable 255 in the allotted 20 overs after Shivam Dube’s late fireworks.
New Zealand made a disastrous start to the chase, losing Finn Allen in the third over.
Ravindra’s struggles with the bat continued, as he quickly followed Allen to the pavilion.
Glenn Phillips and Mark Chapman both delivered disappointing displays, failing to reach double figures.
Tim Seifert hit a blistering half-century before Kishan pulled off a spectacular catch to remove him.
Captain Mitchell Santner showed some resistance, but his efforts were nowhere near good enough as they lost the game by 96 runs.
