India Secures Third Consecutive ICC Men’s Trophy
India’s captain, Suryakumar Yadav, has expressed his ambition for sustained dominance in white-ball cricket following the team’s emphatic victory over New Zealand, which secured their third consecutive ICC men’s trophy.
After a prolonged period without major international success, India has achieved remarkable progress since 2024, capturing two T20 World Cups and a Champions Trophy. Reflecting on this transformation, Yadav stated:
“I’m very excited by the way things have gone since then. The drought ended after a really long time and after that we never looked back. Everything changed in 2024. From there we understood how this team needs to work going forward, and it’s been a wonderful journey since then. We wanted to do something special in front of our home crowd and we want to continue doing that and never stop.”
Sanju Samson’s Remarkable Tournament Performance
India’s coach, Gautam Gambhir, praised Sanju Samson as “a special player” after the batter was named player of the tournament. Samson’s journey was notable for his recovery from a difficult period, having lost his place following a challenging buildup. Upon his return, he delivered crucial innings in all three knockout matches, including an unbeaten 97 in the decisive final Super 8s game against the West Indies, followed by scores of 89 in both the semi-final and the final.
“Coming back from the kind of form that he was in takes so much character and courage, when you know that maybe your career is on the line,” Gambhir said. “Making a comeback like that and playing those kind of innings, with that strike rate and that type of flamboyance, you need to be a special player, you to be special talent, and hopefully he can kick on from here. I think he deserves a lot more than actually he’s got until now.”
After the final, Samson revealed the support he received from cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar during his return to form:
“I’m out of words, out of emotions. After the New Zealand series [in January, when he averaged 9.2] I was completely out of my mind. I thought, ‘My dreams are shattered, what else can I do?’ But God had different plans, and I was rewarded for being brave enough to dream. In the last couple of months – I hope I can share it here – I have been in constant touch with Sachin. I reached out to him and have had some big conversations with him. Getting guidance from someone like him, what more can I ask for?”
New Zealand Captain Reflects on Team’s Performance
Mitchell Santner, captain of New Zealand, acknowledged that his team did not perform to their potential during the final. He particularly noted that the bowlers could have been more aggressive with yorkers and bouncers.
“We all know that we weren’t at our best, and if you aren’t at your best against a very good team you’re going to be exposed, and that’s kind of what we were tonight,” Santner said. “We could potentially have done things a little bit different in the powerplay, but it’s pretty tough to stop guys when they’re going. They’re a very good team. They know how to play in these conditions, they play on a lot of flat wickets against quality sides and once they get going it’s pretty tough to stop.”
