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Jasprit Bumrah (PC: BCCI) Jasprit Bumrah delivered a match-winning spell as India defeated New Zealand by 96 runs to claim their third ICC Men’s T20 World Cup title. They won the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium on March 8, defeating the Kiwis convincingly. During the post-match presentation, Bumrah reflected on the victory at his home venue and said, “Feels extremely special because l’ve played one final in my home venue but couldn’twin that one, but today I won. I knew wicket was a flat one so had to use all my experience. Before this tournament I was in that zone where I felt I was trying too hard because I was bowling well but felt I was trying too hard. This tournament I just tried to let the game come to me, and that worked really well. My individual assessment has always been my strength and getting MOTM at my home ground in a World Cup final, it doesn’t get better than that.” Defending a massive total of 255/5, Bumrah dismantled the New Zealand batting order with a four-...

Jasprit Bumrah (PC: BCCI) As England looked to chase down a monstrous target of 254 in their T20 World Cup semifinal against India at the Wankhede, a particular statistic made for interesting reading. Jasprit Bumrah’s off-pace-delivery percentage stood at a whopping 64%. On a pitch that wasn’t offering any kind of grip, he was still able to find an escape route with his variations and finish with eye-catching figures of 1 for 33 from four overs. Some of the cutters that he bowled to Jacob Bethell and Harry Brook were enough to gauge that Bumrah had touched fast-bowling nirvana. Just consider the delivery he bowled to Brook, the England skipper, in the fifth over. Until the moment he released the ball, it seemed as if he was using a normal seam-up grip. Then, just like that, his fingers ripped through the side of the ball. The other salient features were the minimal change in his arm speed and the way the ball dipped on the batter. Clearly, Brook was befuddled by this variation as h...

  Team India practice session in Ahmedabad. Image: Debasis Sen On the eve of the T20 World Cup final in Ahmedabad, India’s preparation reflected a team attempting to balance intensity with calm. The stakes could not be higher: the T20 World Cup title on the line, a venue that many fans believe has been “unlucky” for India, and an opponent in New Zealand that has historically proven difficult to overcome in T20 World Cups. Yet inside the Indian camp, the focus remains firmly on the present. India’s match day minus one practice session was noticeably light-hearted rather than intense. Only a small group of players took part in the evening training, including Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Axar Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma. The session appeared designed more to sharpen rhythm and get the engine going rather than push players through exhaustive drills. Bumrah spent some time warming up with spot bowling, while Axar Patel bowled alongsi...

  Team India eyeing redemption in Ahmedabad. Image: Debasis Sen You mention Ahmedabad and a big final, and inevitably the mind goes back to November19, 2023. India had played a stellar World Cup, had won every game and looked unstoppable. And then Ahmedabad happened. A Travis Head masterclass and Rohit Sharma’s India were stopped in their tracks. Pat Cummins managed to silence a crowd of more than a lakh, and Indian cricket struggled for months to overcome the scar. Australia outclassed India by six wickets- a file photograph from 2023 November Ind vs Aus. Image: Revsportz Now we are back in Ahmedabad. Rohit will also be there in the stands as the brand ambassador of the tournament. If India wins, it will be redemption for him as well. While you do not need any motivation in a World Cup final, Rohit’s presence and the setting of Ahmedabad add a further layer to the occasion. Each one of us who follows the sport religiously can feel the tension. You sense it whenever you re...

Allen spotted during a practice session in Ahmedabad. (PC: Debasis Sen for RevSportz) New Zealand opener Finn Allen believes that the pre-tournament T20I series against India in January will serve his side well in the T20 World Cup final, which will be played on Sunday, March 8. Before the 20-team tournament, India and New Zealand locked horns in a five-match T20I series. Although the Kiwis lost the series, their understanding of the conditions has served them well during the tournament in India. The two teams now find themselves in the final of the mega event. Ahead of the big final, Allen emphasised how the recent set of matches will help the Kiwis against the host nation. “We know what the opposition are going to do. They’re an incredible side, but playing them five times before a World Cup gives you a good look at them,” Allen told Sky Sports. Allen is confident of beating India and clinching their maiden World Cup title, and insists the team is relishing the “underdog” tag....

Darren Sammy (left), PV sindhu (right). PC- X This is what West Indies coach Daren Sammy posted on X. The team had lost to India at the Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup and were eliminated from the tournament. However, with war breaking out in the Middle East, airspace was closed and they were left stranded. On the face of it, the message seems like a poignant plea. At another level, though, it raises some fundamental questions about how sport and geopolitics are interconnected. In the past few days alone, the ripple effects have been visible across sports and continents. Indian badminton star PV Sindhu found herself stranded in Dubai while travelling to the prestigious All England Open Badminton Championships in Birmingham after disruptions around the airport halted normal travel. Tennis players, including Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev, were also caught in transit delays as flights across the Gulf region were cancelled or rerouted. Several tournaments have already been imp...