Ahmedabad, March 8: In a thrilling display of batting, India has set a daunting target of 256 runs for New Zealand in the T20 World Cup 2026 final, thanks to explosive innings from Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, and Ishan Kishan.
The match, held at the Narendra Modi Stadium, saw New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner win the toss and invite India to bat first. In response, Team India scored 255 runs, losing five wickets in their allotted overs.
The opening partnership between Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma provided a strong start, amassing 98 runs in just 7.1 overs. Abhishek scored 52 runs off 21 balls, hitting three sixes and six fours before returning to the pavilion.
Following this, Sanju Samson teamed up with Ishan Kishan to add 105 runs for the second wicket in 48 balls, pushing the team’s score past 200. Samson notched up his third consecutive half-century, scoring 89 runs off 46 balls, including eight sixes and five fours.
India faced a setback in the 16th over when they lost Samson. In the same over, Ishan (54) and captain Suryakumar Yadav (0) also fell. Ishan contributed 54 runs from 25 balls, hitting four sixes and four fours.
By this point, India had lost four wickets at a score of 204. Tilak Varma then took charge, forming partnerships of 22 runs with Hardik Pandya (18) and an unbeaten 29 runs with Shivam Dube (26), leading India to a total of 255 runs, the highest score in T20 World Cup knockout history.
For New Zealand, James Neesham was the standout bowler, claiming three wickets for 46 runs in four overs, while Rachin Ravindra and Matt Henry took one wicket each. India fielded an unchanged lineup, while New Zealand made one change, bringing in Jacob Duffy for Cole McConchie.
India’s Playing XI: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah.
New Zealand’s Playing XI: Tim Seifert (wicketkeeper), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner (captain), Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Jacob Duffy.
–
RSG
Leave a Comment