Abhishek Sharma punches his bat in anger after dismissal in T20 World Cup 2026 final

Tim Seifert leaped up in joy. Rachin Ravindra started to run towards his teammate with a huge smile on his face. After all the carnage at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, the New Zealand Cricket team finally got rid of the dangerous Abhishek Sharma.

Sharma departed after a stormy half-century. The left-handed batter, who struggled with his batting continuously before the Final match, bounced back on the biggest stage. A timely half-century by the southpaw. Sharma went for 52 off 21, powered by six 4s and three 6s. Because of those relentless big hits, his strike rate reads 247.62.

Abhishek Sharma is gone after scoring 52 off 21

It was a lucky dismissal for the Blackcaps, as Sharma went off guard because he lost his balance. It was the outside off delivery from the spinner Rachin Ravindra, which took a feather touch from the batter’s blade. Keeper Tim Seifert did not make a mistake in collecting the ball into his gloves.

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— Nickk Knight (@KnightNick34590) March 8, 2026

The kind of form Abhishek Sharma had for today’s match was magnificent. If he were able to maintain his balance, then the result of the first delivery of the 8^th over could be different. Sharma knew the delivery was into his arch. He looked very upset when he was heading back to the dressing room.

Soon, with the inform opener Sanju Samson and a fresh Ishan Kishan on the pitch, the Men in Blue touched down the 100-run mark. According to the stats, it was the fastest 100 in the knockouts of the T20 World Cups. India needed only 7.2 overs to create the record.

Fastest team 100s in T20 WC knockouts
7.2 overs - India vs NZ, Ahmedabad, 2026
7.5 overs - NZ vs SA, Kolkata, 2026
8.1 overs - ENG vs IND, Mumbai WS, 2026
8.3 overs - IND vs ENG, Mumbai WS, 2026

Team India, again edge past the 250-run landmark in Men's T20Is

With Samson’s 89 and thunderous half-centuries from Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan, India, batting first after losing the toss, put 255 runs in 20 overs, losing 5 wickets. The middle-order of the batting line-up was a bit disappointing, but a blistering cameo by Shivam Dube helped the team to edge past the 250-run mark. Dube remained not out for 26 off 8, with three 4s and a couple of 6s.

It is worth noting that Samson’s 89 is the highest individual score in a T20 WC final, surpassing 85* and 85 by Marlon Samuels and Kane Williamson in 2016 and 2021, respectively. In this innings, the Men in Blue collectively hit 37 boundaries, which also influenced the record book. In the history of the Men’s T20Is, it is the 7th time that India scored 250-plus runs in an innings. New Zealand will have to do a very challenging task to surpass the target.

Read More: MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma share an iconic moment in the 2026 T20 World Cup final