Suryakumar Yadav and co. dominated New Zealand in the T20 World Cup final, turning it into a rare one-sided summit clash. India crushed their opponents by 96 runs after posting a massive 255 for 5, with New Zealand winning the toss and choosing to field at Narendra Modi Stadium. The Indian top order was unstoppable, with Sanju Samson scoring 89, Abhishek Sharma 52, and Ishan Kishan 54, taking the attack to the Kiwi bowlers. Mitchell Santner’s decision to bowl first backfired completely as India’s batters set a commanding total and controlled the match from start to finish.
Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly slammed New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner’s decision to field first in the T20 World Cup final, saying their fate was sealed by 7:30 pm. He called it a “recipe for disaster” and shared his reaction with those watching alongside him.
“New Zealand had lost the World Cup by 7:30 pm. How can teams ask this Indian side to bat first? It is a recipe for disaster. The match started at 7 pm and was over by 7:30 pm. I said as much to the people who were watching with me.” Ganguly said on Revsportz.
Ganguly praised India’s batting strength, listing stars from Ishan Kishan to Axar Patel, and called bowling maestro Jasprit Bumrah “a freak.” He noted that with such firepower, the match was effectively over in half an hour.
“Look at India’s batting – Ishan, Abhishek, Sanju Samson, Surya, Shivam, Tilak, Hardik, and Axar – and teams want to send India in! It is a recipe for disaster. And then you have Bumrah, who is a freak. The game was over by 7:30 pm,” he added.
“India can easily field two teams of great quality”
Continuing his assessment, Ganguly pointed to India’s staggering depth in white-ball cricket, highlighting how players like Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill are still outside the XI. He said the talent pool is so rich that India could easily field two teams of top quality.
“Just think of the players who are not in the team, and you will know how good they are. Shreyas Iyer is a bona fide white-ball great, yet he doesn’t get a spot in the team. Suryavanshi can walk into any team in the world. Jaiswal doesn’t get a spot in the team. Gill is sitting out. You can easily field two teams of great quality,” said Ganguly.
