India comprehensively defeated New Zealand in the T20 World Cup final on Sunday, March 8, to become the first team to successfully defend the coveted title.

Mitchell Santner won the toss and elected to bowl first on a belter of a track. Abhishek Sharma finally did justice to his potential, smashing 52 off just 21 balls. Ishan Kishan also played a key role as he slammed 54 off 25 deliveries. Sanju Samson continued his terrific form in the tournament, as he smashed 89 off 46 balls. The top three batters in the Indian batting order went berserk as New Zealand didn't know how to stop the leakage of runs.

However, James Neesham picked up three wickets in the 16th over to bring the Kiwis back in the game. The next few overs remained quiet, and it seemed that the Black Caps would restrict the Men in Blue to a score below 235. However, Shivam Dube played a gem of an innings down the order, smashing an unbeaten 26* off eight balls. His blitzkrieg helped India get past the 250-run mark.

New Zealand were set a target of 256. Finn Allen got a lifeline early in the innings as he was dropped by Shivam Dube. However, he couldn't make India pay, as he was dismissed for nine.

Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, and Mark Chapman also registered single-digit scores as India were all over New Zealand.

Tim Seifert scored a valiant half-century, while Mitchell Santner contributed with a 35-ball 43. However, New Zealand fell way short of India's mammoth total. The Kiwis were bowled out for 159, as India won the title for the third time.

Top Batting performance of the match - Abhishek Sharma

Sanju Samson top-scored for India with a 46-ball 89. Ishan Kishan also smashed 54 off 25 balls. However, the best batting performance has to go to Abhishek for providing the perfect start to India inside the powerplay.

He had the best strike rate in the match, amassing 52 off just 21 balls. He batted with a strike rate of 247.62.

Top Bowling performance of the match - Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah had been bowling wonderfully throughout the tournament.

However, he wasn't picking up too many wickets. However, that changed in the final, as he finished with a magnificent four-for. In his four overs, the experienced campaigner conceded just 15 runs on a flat deck.

Records Broken and Major Milestones Achieved 

• India became the first team to retain the T20 World Cup title.
• India became the first team to lift the title thrice.
• India became the first host nation to win the T20 World Cup title.
• Jasprit Bumrah became the leading wicket-taker for India in T20 World Cups, surpassing Arshdeep Singh's tally.
• Bumrah is also the leading wicket-taker among pacers in T20 World Cups.
• Bumrah became only the third bowler to take a four-wicket haul in T20 World Cup knockouts.
• India's 255/5 is the third-highest team total in T20 World Cup history.
• India has the most 250-plus totals in Men's T20s (7).
• For the first time in T20 World Cup history, each of the top three in a team's innings has gone past 50.
• Sanju Samson now has the most sixes (24) for anyone in a T20 World Cup edition.

Who was the Player of the Match?

Jasprit Bumrah was awarded Player of the Match. He finished with remarkable figures of 4/15 in four overs, his best figures in T20I cricket. The legendary pacer used the slower deliveries to great effect as he flummoxed the Kiwi batters.

What is the next match?

The Indian players will celebrate this magnificent win, and they deserve to do so. They will then join their respective Indian Premier League teams as another season of the cash-rich tournament beckons. New Zealanders can hold their heads high after having a solid campaign. They will play a five-match T20I series against South Africa from March 15.