2 min readMar 9, 2026 02:25 PM IST
India became the first team to succesfully defend their men’s T20 World Cup title with a comprehensive win over New Zealand in the final on Sunday. With it, India also became the most succesfull team in the history of tournament, going past the two titles that West Indies and England had won. Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar noted that winning ICC trophies in general is a different ball game compared to bilateral series and this is the greatest moment in the country’s cricket history.
“India’s trophy cabinet is quite full now,” said Gavaskar on Star Sports. “Winning ICC trophies is not easy. Bilateral dominance is different. ICC tournaments have zero margin for error. You must bring your best every game.
“It takes skill, not luck. The pressure is huge and these players represent over a billion people when they step on the field. No team has won back-to-back T20 World Cups and defending a title is tough. Opposition teams come well prepared.
“Winning the T20 World Cup back-to-back is a massive achievement. This is the best moment in Indian cricket history,” the batting great said.
India had won eight consecutive T20I series before the 2026 T20 World Cup, in addition to winning the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Asia Cup in that period. Overall, India have won every single of the last 14 T20 competitions that they have played, which includes bilateral series against Ireland and Australia before the 2023 T20 World Cup, the men’s gold medal that the had won at the Hangzhou Asian Games and a drawn series against South Africa in December 2023. The last T20I series that they lost was a five-match series against the West Indies in August 2023, which makes it nearly three years since India have tasted defeat in any T20I competition that they have played.
India’s 2024 title win was the first time they had won an ICC trophy since the 2013 Champions Trophy. They have been on a bit of a roll since then, winning the 2025 Champions Trophy as well before Sunday’s T20 World Cup victory.
