By Suramya Kaushik and Karan Prashant Saxena
India’s success has been powered by a deliberate move away from celebrating individual milestones, head coach Gautam Gambhir said on Sunday after the team retained their Twenty20 World Cup title.
India thrashed New Zealand by 96 runs at the Narendra Modi Stadium to become the first team to win the tournament three times, sealing back-to-back titles after their 2024 triumph.
Gambhir, appointed shortly after they lifted the trophy in 2024, said he set the tone early in his tenure that personal landmarks would not determine selection, and that approach helped India commit fully to a dominant style under captain Suryakumar Yadav.
“My simple philosophy with Surya has always been that milestones don’t matter. It’s the trophies that matter,” Gambhir said.
“For too long in Indian cricket, we’ve spoken about milestones. And I hope that till I’m there, we’re not going to talk about milestones.”
He pointed to opener Sanju Samson’s run of form as an example of the team’s evolving mindset.
Samson, who was out of form last year and struggled for runs at the start of the World Cup, struck his third successive 80-plus score in the final and repeatedly lifted India in knockout games.
“Sanju made 97 not out [against West Indies]. Imagine if he would have been playing for a milestone, probably we wouldn’t have got 250,” Gambhir said.
“Stop celebrating milestones. Celebrate trophies. That is going to be important because the bigger purpose of a team sport is to be winning trophies, not scoring individual goals.”
He also praised Suryakumar’s brand of leadership.
“Surya has made my life a lot easier in this format. I think he’s a phenomenal leader. He very rightly mentioned he doesn’t want to be called a captain, he wants to be called a leader.
“Because a leader is a far bigger figure in a dressing room than a captain.”
With India now holding three T20 World Cup titles, Suryakumar said the side would definitely aim to chase gold at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, when they will also target another T20 World Cup crown.
The cricketing world hailed white‑ball powerhouse India as they etched their name deeper into history with a third men’s T20 World Cup crown.
Apart from Samson’s runs in the final, pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah delivered a remarkable 4‑15 on a flat track to claim Player of the Match.
“India’s formula is pretty simple,” former England captain Nasser Hussain said on Sky Sports.
“A batting line‑up full of powerful hitters that will get you an above‑par score and a bowler in Bumrah, who makes a below‑par score probably enough. He’s an absolute genius and when you combine those two elements, they’re virtually unbeatable.”
Fellow Sky Sports pundit and former England cricketer Michael Atherton said India were worthy champions.
“India are more than a preeminent T20 side. They are the preeminent white-ball side at the moment,” he said.
The speed at which India is going and the way they are investing in their system, and also the way they respect their elder generation of cricket, is commendable.
— Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar
“In the last few ICC global events before today they have won 30 out of 32 games.
“They are the strongest side in white-ball cricket.”
Former England captains Michael Vaughan and Kevin Pietersen praised India’s dominance, lauding on social media the team’s sustained excellence in the format.
Current and past Indian cricketers including Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh and Ajinkya Rahane took praised the team’s success on social media.
Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar credited India’s success to structural strength and long‑term planning.
“India have proven they are thinking in the correct manner and they have given opportunities to the right people at the right time,” Akhtar said on the ‘tapmad’ YouTube channel.
“The speed at which India is going and the way they are investing in their system, and also the way they respect their elder generation of cricket, is commendable.”
With India now holding three T20 titles, captain Suryakumar Yadav said the side would definitely aim to chase gold at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, when they will also target another T20 World Cup crown.
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