India captain banks on big-match experience to clinch T20WC title

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India are on the verge of breaking new ground as they face New Zealand in the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 on Sunday in Ahmedabad. The defending champions are one win away from winning back-to-back titles, becoming the first host team to win the Men's T20 World Cup and the first to win three Men's T20 world titles.

They come into the summit clash having won six of their seven matches at the ongoing World Cup. What makes them the favourites for the contest is their big match experience.

A majority of their players were part of the 2024 T20 World Cup-winning squad. In the last 12 months, India has also won the ICC Champions Trophy and the T20 Asia Cup 2025.

“There are a lot of players in this team, right from our coach (Gautam Gambhir), who have played ICC events,” said India captain Suryakumar Yadav on the eve of the final against New Zealand.

“We have players like Hardik (Pandya), (Jasprit) Bumrah or Axar (Patel) who have played in pressure situations at the World Cup. That experience matters a lot. We have these conversations, be it in the team bus or at dinner tables, about what to do in certain tight situations and try and come up with a solution.”

The 2024 T20 World Cup triumph was seemingly the seminal moment for the Indian team as they ended the ICC Trophy drought, in any format, after 11 years. Since then, they have embarked upon a dominant run in the shortest format of the game, earning a 39-7 win-loss record and not losing a single series or tournament they competed in. Even at the T20 World Cup, India have won 14 of their last 15 matches.

Suryakumar, who took over captaincy from Rohit Sharma as he retired after the 2024 World Cup, believes the team camaraderie has been key to their success.

“This feels like a proper family,” he said. “You can turn up to any player, any support staff member, because even they have been in these situations during their playing days. Talking to each other helps a lot to stay calm. I don't need to give them advice. They work best when they are given the freedom. All I do is tell them to keep sticking to the methods that have worked for them.”

At this World Cup, India suffered a defeat against 2024 finalists South Africa after a perfect run in the group stage. But they have made a strong comeback, scoring dominant wins over Zimbabwe and West Indies in the Super Eight before the high-scoring epic against England in the semi-final. In their last three matches, India has breached the 250-mark twice, including this edition’s high of 256/4 against Zimbabwe.

One of the tweaks they made after the South Africa loss was bringing back Sanju Samson as an opener. It has helped break the left-handed monotony at the top of the order, with Samson opening the innings with Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan slotting in at three. Samson played match-winning knocks of 97 not out and 89, in the clutch games against West Indies and England respectively.

“In the last bilateral series, we had Ishan, Abhishek and Sanju in the top three and that was very beneficial to the team,” said the India captain.

“Sanju's inclusion has changed the complexion of the game completely, it was a positive call. When he wasn't in the playing XI, he did everything to contribute to the team cause and put in a lot of effort behind the scenes. He has reaped the rewards of his hard work in the last two-three innings.”

In Sunday’s final, India will be up against one of the canniest teams in the world. Though New Zealand have not won a world title in limited overs cricket yet, they have been one of the most consistent sides in recent times, reaching five finals in ICC white-ball world tournaments in the last 11 years.

“They have a very tactical side,” admitted Suryakumar. “They come with a good plan. But we also have our plans, we have also been preparing for this big stage. So, we want to focus on what we do, rather than think about them.”

India has never won against the Black Caps in their last three T20 World Cup clashes. However, in the recent bilateral series in India, Yadav’s team emerged 4-1 winners. But a World Cup final, in front of near-100,000 home crowd, is a different challenge, and the India captain believes his team is ready for it.