India’s historic victory in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 final sparked celebrations around the world. Among those who reacted with emotion was former India captain Virat Kohli. The legendary batter praised the Indian team and gave special credit to Sanju Samson for his outstanding tournament.
India defeated New Zealand national cricket team by 96 runs in the final. The match was played at Narendra Modi Stadium. Batting first, India delivered a stunning batting performance. The hosts scored 255 runs, which became the highest total ever in a T20 World Cup final.
The innings was built on brilliant knocks from Abhishek Sharma, Samson, and Ishan Kishan. All three batters scored half-centuries and kept the run rate very high. Their powerful batting left New Zealand with a very difficult chase.
Sanju Samson Breaks Records in Historic Tournament
Samson played a sensational innings in the final. He scored 89 runs from 46 balls and dominated the New Zealand bowlers. His knock became the highest individual score in a T20 World Cup final. He went past previous records held by Marlon Samuels and Kane Williamson.
The Kerala wicketkeeper-batter also had a fantastic tournament overall. Samson finished with 321 runs. This helped him break Kohli’s previous Indian record of 319 runs in a single T20 World Cup edition, which Kohli achieved in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2014.
Samson also joined an elite list. He became only the third batter to score fifties in both the semifinal and final of a T20 World Cup. The other two players are Kohli and Shahid Afridi.
Despite losing his record, Kohli praised Samson with a heartfelt message.
“What a remarkable tournament from the most well-deserved man of the tournament, Sanju Samson. You performed when it mattered the most. Really happy for you Chetta.”
Kohli also congratulated the Indian team for their fearless cricket. He wrote:
“Champions. Phenomenal win for Team India in Ahmedabad. Absolutely no match for the explosive cricket played by us throughout the tournament. Brilliant character shown by the boys to keep fighting in tough situations and become world champions once again. Congratulations to all the players and all the members of the management for achieving this feat. Jai Hind,” Kohli tweeted.
