By Alam Zeb Safi
I felt throughout the tournament that India were the most complete and well-knit side in the T20 World Cup and they eventually proved it by lifting the trophy for a record third time on Sunday in Ahmedabad after defeating New Zealand by a massive margin of 96 runs in the final. In doing so, they also became the only team to win the title at home and the first to claim the crown in two successive editions.
What impressed me the most during this event was the atmosphere inside the Indian dressing room. The unity, the belief of the management in their players, and the way the captain Suryakumar Yadav and teammates stood behind those who were struggling was remarkable.
The best example of this culture of trust was the way the team management continued to back young explosive opener Abhishek Sharma despite his poor run of form earlier in the tournament.
Many teams might have been tempted to drop a player after repeated failures on such a big stage, but India did the opposite. They showed faith in his ability, kept him mentally strong and ensured he remained confident. That trust ultimately paid off, not in an ordinary game, but on the biggest stage of them all: the World Cup final.
In the final against New Zealand in Ahmedabad, Abhishek Sharma finally delivered in style. Opening the innings alongside the consistent Sanju Samson, he provided India with a blazing start. Abishek smashed the fastest half-century in the history of T20 World Cup finals, reaching the landmark in just 18 balls.
His aggressive 52 laid a solid platform for India and shifted the early momentum decisively in their favour.
For a player who has been part of the Indian side for only the last two years, it was a moment of redemption and validation.
After the match, Abhishek admitted that the journey through the tournament had been emotionally challenging for him.
“The coach and the captain always had faith in me. It was never an easy tournament for me. Playing my first World Cup, I had never experienced something like this before. But everyone in the team kept telling me that I was capable of winning big games for India. I just kept trusting my process,” Abhishek said after India’s glorious victory.
“For a young player who has been in the Indian team for only a year or two, going through such a phase at the World Cup is not easy. But the way this team supported me was incredible. I love this team and the way they treated me — I had never experienced something like that before.”
“It was tough because I had done well throughout the year but on the biggest stage I wasn’t performing the way I wanted. The faith and confidence shown in me by the players, the support staff and the coaches meant a lot,” Abhishek said.
“At times during the tournament I even got emotional because I desperately wanted to contribute in every game but it wasn’t happening. Whenever I thought of speaking to the coach or the captain, they would come to me themselves and remind me of just one thing — that I am a big-match winner. I just kept waiting for that day, and you couldn’t ask for a better moment than the World Cup final.”
Before the final, Abhishek had struggled badly. He registered three successive ducks against USA, Pakistan and the Netherlands. He then scored 15 against South Africa, 55 against Zimbabwe, 10 against West Indies and nine against England in the semi-finals before producing his finest knock of 52 against New Zealand in the final in Ahmedabad.
The Indian dressing room has long been known for maintaining the morale of its players even in difficult phases and this is not the first time such faith has produced results.
A similar example was seen during the 2024 T20 World Cup, also won by India. Batting great Virat Kohli was not in his best form throughout the tournament, yet the management persisted with him.
That faith was rewarded in the final when Kohli produced a brilliant 76 against South Africa, a knock that became the cornerstone of India’s title victory.
During that event, Kohli had scores of 1, 4, 0, 24, 37, 0, 9 and 76 (final). He finished with 151 runs in eight innings at an average of 18.87 and a strike rate of 112.68, modest numbers overall, but his contribution in the final made all the difference.
For me, these examples clearly show why India continue to succeed in major tournaments. Beyond talent and skill, it is their strong dressing-room culture, built on belief, patience and collective backing that often turns struggling players into match winners when it matters the most.
