Dube’s Final Over Blitz Makes India’s Total Unreachable

There were 26 reasons, in the final over of India’s innings, why New Zealand’s target was always going to be out of reach. Shivam Dube walked to the crease with 2 off 2 and left it having scored 26 off 8 — a cameo of brutal hitting that added an almost unnecessary layer of difficulty to New Zealand’s already-impossible chase. India’s total of 255 ultimately proved 96 runs more than New Zealand could muster, and the T20 World Cup was retained in historic fashion.
India’s innings had been built on the brilliance of Abhishek Sharma (50 off 18), Sanju Samson (89 off 46), and Ishan Kishan (54 off 25), a top three that reduced New Zealand’s bowling to irrelevance from the first over. The powerplay of 92 for no loss equalled the World Cup record and established a position of complete control from which India’s final total was always going to be substantial.
A five-over cluster of four wickets, including Suryakumar Yadav’s golden duck and Kishan’s eventual dismissal, brought some drama to the innings’ conclusion. Neesham’s over of one run and three wickets was among the most statistically peculiar in World Cup history. But Dube’s cameo at the very end ensured the total was imposing on every level.
Bumrah’s three-wicket haul with slow yorkers settled the result in the second innings. New Zealand ended on 159, extending their World Cup final losing streak to four since 2015. Their total was respectable, given two dropped catches by India’s fielders, but always insufficient.
India are world champions for a second consecutive year. Dube, Samson, Sharma, Kishan, Bumrah — the names of heroes who made history. Indian cricket will not forget any of them.