NEW DELHI: Tributes poured in from across the cricketing world after India clinched a historic third title at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, with legends and former players hailing the team’s dominance and character.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!India sealed the trophy in emphatic fashion, crushing New Zealand by 96 runs at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad to become the first team to win three T20 World Cups and the first to defend the title successfully.Batting great Sachin Tendulkar led the chorus of praise, calling India the “totally deserving and rightful winners” of the tournament.
“Winning the World Cup twice in a row, the first time any team has done so in the T20 format. Totally deserving and rightful winners of the trophy. What a fantastic performance by our team and a special brand of cricket on display. Well done, Team India. Jai Hind!” Tendulkar wrote on social media.Former India captain Virat Kohli, who retired from T20 internationals after the 2024 triumph, praised the team’s resilience and fearless style.“Phenomenal win for Team India in Ahmedabad. Absolutely no match for the explosive cricket played by us throughout the tournament. Brilliant character shown by the boys to keep fighting in tough situations and become world champions once again,” Kohli posted.Jay Shah, chairman of the International Cricket Council, congratulated India for creating history while acknowledging New Zealand’s impressive run to the final.Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly said the victory reflected the overall strength of Indian cricket across levels.“Very powerful side. Got better in the bigger games. Indian cricket is in a great place — women’s champions, Under-19 champions and now the men’s T20 champions,” Ganguly wrote.Former England captain Michael Vaughan labelled India the best white-ball side in world cricket.“India are the best T20 team by a good distance. Plus the best 50-over team by a good distance… they have taken the game to a different level,” Vaughan posted.Former West Indies captain Daren Sammy echoed the sentiment, saying India had been the team to beat throughout the competition.Several former players also singled out standout performers. Vaughan picked pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah as his player of the tournament, while India’s official award went to Sanju Samson for his crucial knocks in the knockout stages.Former all-rounder Yuvraj Singh praised the squad’s character in defending the title and highlighted contributions from Samson, Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma, while lauding Bumrah for thriving in pressure situations.With congratulatory messages also coming from figures like Harbhajan Singh, Aakash Chopra and Jhulan Goswami, the victory sparked celebrations across sporting circles.
