India’s Feel the Thrill Tournament Ends With T20 World Cup in Their Hands

The tournament anthem was a song called Feel the Thrill, built around the repeated lyric “This is our year.” For once, the boldness was justified. India turned the T20 World Cup into a home celebration of historic proportions, winning the title on their own soil for the first time and defending it successfully for the first time in men’s cricket history.
The final against New Zealand was less a contest than a coronation. India’s batters hit 255 in their innings, with the powerplay yielding a record-equalling 92 for no loss. Sharma, Samson, and Kishan all scored fifties in a top-order performance that even the most optimistic fan could not have predicted would be so consistent and powerful at the same time.
New Zealand’s bowling attack — Duffy, Ferguson, Henry, Ravindra, and Neesham — did their best, but their best was not good enough. Duffy conceded 15 in his first over back in the tournament. Ferguson and Henry both bowled multiple wides and leaked runs at will. Even Neesham, whose strange over removed three wickets, conceded runs at a rate India were comfortable with overall.
In reply, New Zealand were never in the game. Allen made nine. The top and middle orders contributed little. Seifert earned personal credit for his half-century. Bumrah earned his Man of the Match award for three world-class wickets. New Zealand finished 96 runs short, their fourth World Cup final loss since 2015.
India’s players and fans deserve every moment of the celebrations that followed. A tournament designed and played as a home event produced a home winner. This was their year. This was their night. This was their cup.