And then there was one—India. Back-to-back T20 World Cup champions. Not really a surprise if you have followed the men’s team in this format over the last 18 months. Their planning and detailing were obsessive, leaving little to chance. If their triumph in 2024 came in a loaded field with a couple of favourites, this crown felt more inevitable, even if there was an unexpected stumble against South Africa. Their body of work leading up to the tournament was superior to that of any other team in a format known for its fickle, unpredictable nature.
They killed jeopardy in most games, reflected in their frankly absurd win-loss ratio of over 5.5 in this T20 World Cup cycle (even the greatest T20 teams rarely manage more than 3.5-4:1). The way they played was a breath of fresh air; in a sense, they further revolutionised the sport and ushered in a new, braver era where averages and milestones count for little. “High risk, high reward,” captain Suryakumar Yadav and coach Gautam Gambhir said at the press conference. What is perhaps most heartening is that India have enough players on the sidelines to field another formidable team.
From a wider lens, their victory is further proof that they are now the undisputed top dogs in white-ball cricket. There was a time not long ago when they struggled to get over the line in knockout games. That is why several members of the side broke down after winning the 2024 World Cup. This time, nobody broke down. There was simply joy—the satisfaction of meeting the expectations that come with being the world’s top-ranked team.
It should not be lost on anyone that this came at the venue of their greatest heartache in 2023. The Narendra Modi Stadium, one of India’s biggest sporting projects and linked to the country’s 2036 Olympics bid, now carries greater sporting legitimacy. It may have hosted concerts and political rallies, but it bore a scar after that final loss to Australia. The complex will now look forward to hosting athletes from across disciplines with renewed confidence and belief. That is why this title has the potential to kick-start a gold rush in an era in which sport in the Indian context is increasingly part of a wider national excellence project. And cricket, as so often, is leading the charge.