India outclassed New Zealand by 96 runs in the final of the ICC Men’s 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.

India’s historic triumph was lauded by former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

“The World Cup is over. I think India deserved the title. They have a great team combination. The players sitting on the bench were also as good as the playing XI. This is why I say that you bench needs to be strong. India’s bench was very strong, they could have picked anyone from there and slotted them into the playing XI. They played the whole tournament as champions,” Afridi said in a video posted on his X account.

“Sanju Samson was outstanding. He got the opportunity and he delivered with his sensible hitting and his ability to build the innings. Abhishek Sharma also performed well tonight. Ishan Kishan also performed outstandingly, just like he had performed against Pakistan. Jasprit Bumrah was the backbone of their bowling who has carried India on his back for a long time with his impressive performances. Be it with the new ball, old ball, slower or yorker, he is one of the best bowlers in my opinion,” he added.

Pakistan batting legend Javed Miandad also acknowledged India’s dominance, saying that any team piling up 250-plus totals in the semifinal and final deserved to be champions.

“Their team (India) is now reaping the benefits of a strong process-driven cricket structure,” Miandad said.

“If you look at the talent they are producing now, it is because of their strong structure. They are not short on batters, spinners or fast bowlers and their young players are result-driven and have game awareness,” he added.

Miandad mentioned that when there is a winning culture and mentality established in India’s dressing room, which is why they also won the Champions Trophy last year. “We had this environment in our dressing room once and we won frequently,” he stated.

Former Pakistan wicketkeeper Rashid Latif wasn’t surprised by India’s triumph. “When you regularly reach finals of big events players also get accustomed to winning,” Rashid said.

Former PCB chief selector Muhammad Wasim said Pakistan need to accept India’s superiority as a team and try to improve their standards of cricket.

“We generally try to find faults and float conspiracy theories whenever we lose to India or they do well in big events. We need to stop that and accept their team is a top side and we must try to improve ourselves by learning from our mistakes,” Wasim remarked.

(With PTI inputs)