Three half-centuries from three different batters in the top order set the tone for one of the most dominant batting performances in World Cup final history. Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, and Ishan Kishan all fired in India’s T20 World Cup final against New Zealand, and the cumulative effect was a total of 255 that New Zealand had no realistic hope of chasing.
Sharma was the fastest to the mark, reaching his fifty in just 18 balls before edging Ravindra’s first delivery into the keeper’s gloves. Kishan was similarly explosive, reaching his half-century off 23 deliveries. Samson was the most measured of the three, taking 33 balls to reach fifty, but he made up for it with the power of his striking once he arrived.
By the 14th over, India were 191 for one and Samson had smashed three consecutive deliveries into the crowd. The drinks break interrupted their momentum and the following five overs produced only two boundaries and four wickets. Among the dismissals was a golden duck for captain Suryakumar Yadav, who was brilliantly caught by Ravindra off a short Neesham delivery at deep backward square.
Samson fell for 89 off 46, caught at long-on off a full toss. Kishan followed two balls later in similar fashion. The late hitting of Dube, who scored 24 off eight balls in the final over, boosted the total to 255. New Zealand’s reply was poor from the outset and ended tamely 96 runs short, with Bumrah the standout bowler with three wickets.
The three-man fifty partnership was one of the fastest and most productive top-order combinations in any T20 World Cup final. Together, Sharma, Samson, and Kishan ensured India would not need to bat again.