India Eye T20 History, New Zealand Hunt Maiden World Cup – SABC News – Xavier Radio Ug

India’s bid to become the first team to retain the Twenty20 World Cup will collide ​with New Zealand’s quest for a maiden global white-ball crown when the finalists step on to the field at ‌the world’s largest cricket stadium on Sunday.
The 20-team tournament will end in an Ahmedabad amphitheatre where more than 100,000 fans will expect a gladiatorial slugfest and most will hope for a home triumph.
The stands will transform into a sea of blue for Suryakumar Yadav’s men, but India do not have particularly sweet ​memories of their rivals or the venue in recent global finals.
Personnel have since changed, but in New Zealand, India face ​opponents who got the better of them in the World Test Championship final in 2021 in England.
Two ⁠years later, Australia stunned the cavernous Narendra Modi Stadium when they humbled India, previously unbeaten in the tournament, in the 50-over World ​Cup final.
Still, it is a testament to India’s consistency that reaching finals has become almost habitual.
This home campaign has not been flawless, but ​it is where it matters, one win from becoming the first host nation to lift a T20 World Cup.
As the world’s top-ranked T20 side, they have the means to do it.
Sanju Samson has reinvigorated the top order with back-to-back match-winning knocks to fire the hosts into the final.
His elevation has added a ​valuable left-right variety at the top, and India has shown tactical flexibility to rejig their batting order whenever needed. With the ball, Jasprit ​Bumrah has led superbly, earning plaudits for strangling batters in the game’s most unforgiving format for bowlers.
Seam-bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been on point too, ‌though the ⁠leakage of no-balls and wides from Arshdeep Singh and Shivam Dube, especially at the death, remains a concern.

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