Team India exudes an aura of invincibility in T20Is

Great teams have an air of inevitability when it comes to success. The Men in Blue, specifically in T20Is, exude that aura. The West Indies, cutting across formats in the 1970s and ’80s, and its successor Australia, all had this swagger backed by performance.

When Suryakumar Yadav’s men claimed the ICC T20 World Cup at New Zealand’s expense at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, it seemed preordained. Such was India’s dominance. The host retained the title, previously won in 2024, and tided past the pressure of playing in the backyard as soaring expectations could at times choke.

Including the latest conquest, cutting across ODIs and T20Is, India has won five World Cups, and three Champions Trophies. Additionally, nine Asia Cups and the 1985 World Championship of Cricket in Australia, were all secured. This triumphant run commenced in 1983 when Kapil Dev held aloft the World Cup at Lord’s.

Yet, consistency in winning global trophies started only in 2024 as two T20 World Cups and a Champions Trophy have been seized since then. The latest successful effort was mounted on muscular batting and a bowling that had Jasprit Bumrah to step up all the time.

Jasprit Bumrah was the go-to bowler for Suryakumar Yadav.
| Photo Credit:
Emmanual Yogini

That India would get through the group stages and enter the Super Eight was a foregone conclusion. The more difficult part was in sustaining form in the knockout phase. Yes, the clash against Pakistan at Colombo had its own set of difficulties, primarily off the field due to complicated diplomacy and historical angst.

But in all these encounters, India prevailed. South Africa offered a reality check, just like it did during the 2011 50-over World Cup. But then and now, the host moved ahead. This was a campaign in which opener Abhishek Sharma struggled for a large part despite two fifties, with one coming in the final. And Varun Chakaravarthy, who along with Bumrah, finished as the highest wicket-taker with 14 scalps each, had his lukewarm days too.

Sanju Samson was in smashing form in the crunch games.
| Photo Credit:
Emmanual Yogini

But India always marched on. Sanju Samson’s comeback atop the batting tree and his three consecutive 80-plus scores in the last three games, ensured that opening blues were no longer an issue. Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube, all flexed their bats. Hardik Pandya, at times with runs, crucial wickets and bustling energy on the field, was critical to India’s propulsion.

That men like Kishan and Axar Patel, would also be remembered for their fielding, is a reflection of how India ticked most of the boxes. India in the blue shade is in the ascendant.

Hopefully there would be success in Tests too, an attribute that went missing as New Zealand and South Africa came visiting and left with series triumphs. It is one aspect that coach Gautam Gambhir has to address.

Jammu and Kashmir winning the Ranji Trophy is another clue to how cricket’s roots have spread wide, and India is bound to benefit, even as the Indian Premier League saunters into view.