India won the T20 World Cup 2026 after defeating New Zealand in the final on March 8.
As the Men in Blue defeated New Zealand by 96 runs in the 2026 T20 World Cup final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, former England players Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton praised India as the "pre-eminent" team in T20 cricket.
Mitchell Santner, the Kiwi captain, had won the toss and asked India to bat first. However, the choice backfired as India amassed a massive 255/5 in 20 overs thanks to half-centuries from Ishan Kishan (54), Abhishek Sharma (52), and Sanju Samson (89).
In response, New Zealand only managed 159 runs and lost the final by 96 runs, despite 52 from Tim Seifert and 43 from Mitchell Santner. As India successfully defended their T20 World Cup title and became the first team to win the competition three times, Jasprit Bumrah took 4/15, and Axar Patel claimed three wickets.
Indian supporters would be delighted to hear Hussain and Atherton commend Team India for winning the T20 World Cup. When talking about the ICC and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), Indian supporters believed that Hussain and Atherton unfairly singled out the BCCI.
However, on Sunday, Hussain and Atherton showered India with plaudits for becoming the first side to win the T20 World Cup at home and to defend the crown.
Hussain underlined India’s batting prowess, pacer Jasprit Bumrah’s brilliance, while admitting that India are “unbeatable” in the format.
“India’s formula is pretty simple. A batting line‑up full of powerful hitters that will get you an above‑par score, and a bowler in Bumrah, who makes a below‑par score probably enough. He’s an absolute genius, and when you combine those two elements, they’re virtually unbeatable,” Hussain said on Sky Sports.
Atherton added that Indiisre the most dominant side not only in T20s, but also in ODIs.
“India are more than a pre-eminent T20 side. They are the pre-eminent white-ball side at the moment. In the last few ICC global events before today, they have won 30 out of 32 games. They are the strongest side in white-ball cricket,” Atherton said.