T20 World Cup: India’s march to glory & the men who mattered

The route to the World Cup was littered with obstacles and hazards. Fortunately for India, every time it faced a crunch situation, a player stood up and produced a match-winning performance

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SURYAKUMAR YADAV vs US (84 n.o off 49 balls): India were reeling at 77/6 in the opening match and there was real concern that the US would pull off a massive upset before the skipper stepped in to steady the ship. Dropped on 17 off 15 balls, Surya smashed 48 off the last 18 balls he faced — including 21 off the last over — to haul India to 161/9, and a comfortable 29-run victory

ISHAN KISHAN vs Pak (77 off 40 balls): In a match in which every batter struggled to raise the tempo, Kishan batted as though he was playing on another pitch. His explosive knock propelled India to 88/1 in 8.3 overs before he was dismissed. India slowed dramatically thereafter, but the momentum given by Kishan meant they still reached 175/7 — more than enough as Pak crumbled to 114 all out




TILAK VARMA (44 n.o off 16 balls vs Zimbabwe): Smarting from a 76-run hammering by South Africa, India rejigged their batting order and came out all guns firing. Every batter scored at a strike rate of over 150, but Varma provided the icing on the cake, taking to his new role of finisher with gusto as India galloped to 256/4, their highest score in T20 World Cups

SANJU SAMSON (97 n.o off 50 balls vs West Indies): In a virtual quarterfinal, Samson played an unforgettable innings, displaying composure and silken strokemaking to guide India to their highest run chase ever in a T20 WC game

AXAR PATEL vs England: Samson played another blinder (89 off 42) in the semis and Bumrah (1/33) produced a T20 bowling masterclass. But the biggest impact arguably came from the vice-captain, who bowled Tom Banton, took two catches — including a superb dismissal of English skipper Harry Brook — and produced a moment of sheer genius, racing to grab the ball, then flipping it to Shivam Dube as he hurtled over the ropes, to get rid of Will Jacks.

Get the latest ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, IND vs ENG Live Score updates, including the full schedule, teams, points table, and key series stats such as top run-scorers and wicket-takers.