March 9 (Reuters) - The cricketing world hailed white‑ball powerhouse India as they etched their name deeper into history with a third men’s Twenty20 World Cup title on Sunday, defeating New Zealand by 96 runs in Ahmedabad.
Opener Sanju Samson continued his prolific run with a third successive 80‑plus score, earning him the player‑of‑the‑tournament award, while pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah delivered a remarkable 4‑15 on a flat track to claim player‑of‑the‑match honours.
"India's formula is pretty simple," former England captain Nasser Hussain said on Sky Sports.
"A batting line‑up full of powerful hitters that will get you an above‑par score and a bowler in Bumrah, who makes a below‑par score probably enough. He's an absolute genius, and when you combine those two elements, they're virtually unbeatable."
Fellow Sky Sports pundit and former England cricketer Michael Atherton said India were worthy champions.
"India are more than a pre-eminent T20 side. They are the pre-eminent white-ball side at the moment," he said.
"In the last few ICC global events before today they have won 30 out of 32 games.
"They are the strongest side in white-ball cricket."
Former England captains Michael Vaughan and Kevin Pietersen also praised India’s dominance, lauding on social media the team’s sustained excellence in the format, while current and past Indian cricketers including Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh and Ajinkya Rahane took to social media to praise the team's success.
Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar credited India’s success to structural strength and long‑term planning.
"India have proven they are thinking in the correct manner and they have given opportunities to the right people at the right time," Akhtar said on 'tapmad' YouTube channel.
"The speed at which India is going and the way they are investing in their system, and also the way they respect their elder generation of cricket, is commendable."
With India now holding three T20 World Cup titles, captain Suryakumar Yadav said the side would definitely aim to chase gold at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, when they will also target another T20 World Cup crown.
(Reporting by Karan Prashant Saxena in New Delhi; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
