India outclassed New Zealand by 96 runs in the final of the T20 World Cup 2026 at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on Sunday (March 8).

As a result, the Men in Blue became the first team to defend their T20 World Cup title, win the trophy on three occasions and win on home soil.

Speaking to the media after the triumph, India head coach Gautam Gambhir acknowledged the contributions of his predecessor Rahul Dravid and the BCCI CoE head VVS Laxman, dedicating the trophy to both legends.

"I would dedicate this trophy to Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman. To Rahul bhai for putting Indian team in a place and Laxman for creating pipeline at CoE," Gambhir told reporters.

Gambhir also thanked chief selector Ajit Agarkar and Jay Shah, the ICC chairman and former BCCI secretary.

"Ajit Agarkar, who took a lot of flak and worked with a lot of honesty. And to Jay bhai. During my lowest ebb in my tenure after losing to NZ and then SA (at home in Test series in 2024 and 2025), he called me," the coach added.

In the final, India produced a clinical performance, posting a mammoth 255/5 in 20 overs after being put into bat -- the highest-ever total in the summit clash of a T20 World Cup.

Sanju Samson led the way with a knock of 89 in 46 balls. Abhishek Sharma (52 off 21) saved his best for last, smashing the fastest half-century of the tournament, off just 18 balls. Kishan (54 off 25) and Shivam Dube (26 off 8) also made significant contributions.

With the ball, Jasprit Bumrah (4/15 in 4 overs) and Axar Patel (3/27 in 3 overs) were the pick of the bowlers as India bundled New Zealand out for 159 in 19 overs.

Gambhir stressed that the team's culture under his tenure is built around winning trophies rather than chasing milestones.

“My simple philosophy with Surya has always been that milestones don't matter. It's the trophies that matter. For too long in Indian cricket, we've spoken about milestones. And I hope that till I'm there, we're not going to talk about milestones,” the coach told reporters.

Gambhir commended skipper Suryakumar Yadav for his leadership skills and for sharing the same philosophy about prioritising team success over personal records.

“Look, I've said it before, I think Surya has made my life a lot easier in this format. I think he's a phenomenal leader. I think, yes, he very rightly mentioned that he doesn't want to be called a captain, he wants to be called a leader because a leader is a far bigger figure in a dressing room than a captain.”

“And I think Surya has… Actually, I've been very fortunate that Surya and I were on the same page, especially on this one,” he remarked.