After coaching the Indian men's cricket team to a 96-run victory over New Zealand in the final on Sunday at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium, Gautam Gambhir hailed the team's T20 World Cup 2026 victory, saying it mirrored the "plan of 1.4 billion Indians". Under Suryakumar Yadav's captaincy, India defeated New Zealand, headed by Mitchell Santner, in the T20 World Cup 2026 final to successfully defend their championship. India were the first team to win the T20 World Cup at home, the first to win consecutive titles following their 2024 success, and the first to take the trophy three times (2007, 2024, 2026).In a post on X, Gautam Gambhir praised every squad member as a world champion, stating, "This wasn't just God's plan, it was the plan of 1.4 billion Indians! Each player is a World Champion!"
Gambhir's T20 World Cup victory adds to his impressive white-ball cricket career. Gambhir has a great background as an Indian head coach, having won the Champions Trophy 2025, Asia Cup 2025, and T20 World Cup, as well as an Indian Premier League (IPL) title as a mentor with the Kolkata Knight Riders. The Delhi-born cricketer has an impressive resume, having won the T20 World Cup, the 50-over World Cup, the Asia Cup, and the IPL throughout his playing career.Mitchell Santner won the toss in the match between India and New Zealand and chose to field first. However, Abhishek Sharma's return-to-form fifty (52 in 21 balls, with six fours and three sixes) and his 98-run partnership with Samson made New Zealand regret their decision. Later, Samson and Ishan Kishan combined for a century (54 in 25 balls, with four boundaries and four sixes) to propel India above the 200-run barrier in the sixteenth over. After a brief lull, Shivam Dube (26* in eight balls, with three fours and two sixes) scored some crucial runs to propel India to 255/5, the highest total in the T20WC finals.James Neesham (3/46) was the leading wicket-taker for New Zealand.
In the 256-run chase, Axar Patel (3/23) and Jasprit Bumrah (4/15) reduced the Kiwis to 72/5, despite Tim Seifert's half-century (52 in 26 balls, with two fours and five sixes). Despite a brief partnership between Daryl Mitchell (17) and skipper Mitchell Santner (43 in 35 balls, three fours and two sixes), India continued to pick up wickets, as the Kiwis were dismissed for 159 runs.