The era of India's dominance in cricket may have begun with their impressive victory in the T20 World Cup on Saturday, according to several former players. India triumphed in a nail-biting match against South Africa in Bridgetown, securing their second 20-overs global trophy 17 years after winning the inaugural edition. This marks India's first global title since the 2013 Champions Trophy, despite their consistent performance in recent years. India had lost consecutive finals of the World Test Championships in 2021 and 2023, and their only defeat in the 50-overs home World Cup last year was in the final against Australia. They broke this dry spell in International Cricket Council (ICC) events on Saturday, becoming the first team to win the T20 World Cup without a single loss in the tournament.
"I feel this is a breakthrough win for us," former India opener Virender Sehwag wrote on X. "For years, we've played well, been consistent, but couldn't cross the finish line. With this win, I believe we will consistently win many ICC trophies in the coming years." India's resurgence comes as England's white-ball dominance wanes, with the Jos Buttler-led side failing to defend two World Cup titles in eight months. Former England fast bowler Steven Finn believes India has taken over this mantle.
"India are formidable - they have all bases covered in all conditions," Finn told the BBC. "This experience could lead them to dominate now. It's an experience that will benefit them greatly." Former India captain Sourav Ganguly predicted "they will win many more" following their success in the Caribbean. Batting legend Sachin Tendulkar said India's fourth World Cup title in limited-overs cricket would inspire young talents in the country.
"Every star added to the Team India jersey inspires our nation's starry-eyed children to move closer to their dreams. India gets the 4th star, our second in @T20WorldCup," Tendulkar wrote on X. However, India's domination in the 20-overs format will now be under new leadership. Captain Rohit Sharma and veteran Virat Kohli retired from T20 Internationals after winning the World Cup, and it was also head coach Rahul Dravid's final match with the team.
India last won a World Cup in 2011 at home under MS Dhoni, who previously led the team to a T20 World Cup victory in the inaugural edition in 2007. Star batsman Virat Kohli played a remarkable innings, scoring 76 off 59 balls, guiding India to 176-7. Their bowlers then defended this total brilliantly, restricting South Africa to 169-8 despite needing just 26 runs off 24 balls with six wickets in hand. The match between the tournament's two unbeaten sides lived up to expectations, providing intense drama that ended with India claiming their second T20 World Cup 17 years after their first.
It was a fitting finale to the largest T20 World Cup featuring a record 20 teams, which generated significant interest in the United States, co-hosts of the tournament with West Indies. The US performed impressively on the field, defeating former champions Pakistan and advancing to the Super Eight stage ahead of Test-playing nations like New Zealand and Sri Lanka. Afghanistan also performed well until South Africa defeated them in the semifinals. This was the first time South Africa reached the final of a World Cup in any format, but Aiden Markram's side narrowly missed out on the title.
No batter scored a century in the bowler-dominated tournament, which many saw as a refreshing change from the usual relentless hitting the format encourages. India's Jasprit Bumrah, named player of the tournament, particularly stood out and reinforced his status as the best all-format bowler in the world.
