Sanju Samson gets 9/10, Abhishek Sharma scores 5/10:Team India’s report card after historic T20 WC triumph

After an electrifying T20 World Cup campaign in February, India successfully defended their title by defeating New Zealand by 96 runs in the final at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium. With this victory, the Men in Blue became the first nation to win the T20 World Cup on home soil. The final also marked India’s fourth consecutive ICC final appearance, following the ODI World Cup 2023, T20 World Cup 2024 and the Champions Trophy 2025. Under the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav, India enjoyed a dominant run throughout the tournament. Their only setback came in the Super 8 stage against South Africa, coincidentally at the same venue that later hosted the final. By the end of the tournament, Sanju Samson emerged as India’s highest run-scorer, with Ishan Kishan also making a significant impact with a strong late surge. Meanwhile, pacer Jasprit Bumrah finished as the team’s leading wicket-taker. Here’s a closer look at Team India’s overall report card from their successful T20 World Cup 2026 campaign. India’s T20 World Cup 2026 Report Card Batters Abhishek Sharma – 5/10 Opener who overcame tournament flopshow Abhishek Sharma was a flopshow throughout the tournament. First, he suffered a hat-trick of ducks, then got multiple starts but could not convert them into a defining knock. However, it was the final when the luck shone on the Indian opener as he slammed a quickfire 21-ball 52 against New Zealand in the summit clash. Sanju Samson – 9/10 Cometh the hour, cometh the man Who could’ve imagined that Sanju Samson, who scored a mere 49 runs (10, 6, 0, 24, and 6) in 5 innings in the bilateral series against New Zealand, with a highest score of 24, could lead India upfront in a virtual quarterfinal when the team was in desperate need of a stable start from the openers. He established himself with an unbeaten 97 against the West Indies and then went on to anchor India in knockout games like the semifinal against England (89-off-42) and final against New Zealand (89-off-46). So he was the saviour of India at the end of the tournament. Ishan Kishan – 8/10 Pocket dynamite’s exceptional charge Ishan Kishan was well understood in his role from the start and contributed throughout the T20 World Cup with the same consistency. Throughout the tournament, apart from the opening game against the USA, he maintained a strike rate of over 150. His best came vs Pakistan, where he slammed 77(40) and the T20 World Cup final, where he hit 54 in just 24 balls. Suryakumar Yadav – 7/10 Best leadership, lack of form with the bat Suryakumar Yadav wasn’t that impactful with the bat keepin apart the 84*(49) in the campaign opener against USA. If we leave that knock, Surya could not save the day or bat at a strike rate of over 122 in an innings where he played more than 15 balls. However, in terms of tactical awareness and as a captain, he backed his players like Varun Chakaravarthy and Abhishek Sharma despite their poor performances, who later performed in the finals. Even against England, he rotated bowlers smartly, considering the dew factors, especially death overs from Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya. Tilak Varma – 7.5/10 Trustworthy game changer Just like Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma knew his role, but he offered something more: flexibility. When Men in Blue were figuring out the best batting order at the start of the tournament with this much firepower, he was the one who was shuffled up and down the order for stability. Before the Super 8 loss against South Africa, he could not get past the strike rate of 156. However, it seems he got more clarity and started hitting with over strike rate of 180 in each game. Rinku Singh – 5/10 God’s plan got fewer opportunities Rinku Singh did not get many chances apart from the Pakistan game, where he scored 11 runs in just four balls. Tilak Varma might have topped the catch list with 8 catches in 9 games. It was Rinku Singh, who ran around the ground as sub fielder and took five catches in five games. Even after his father’s demise, he joined the Team India campaign before the virtual quarterfinal against West Indies at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. All-Rounders Shivam Dube – 8/10 Power hitting at its peak with the bat Shivam Dube displayed the epitome of power hitting as he accelerated India’s innings in the death overs on multiple occasions. Even when the batting order crumbled against South Africa, Shivam Dube scored 42 runs in 37 balls, adding crucial runs to the scoreboard. India lost that match, but Dube continued to deliver in every match. Even in the final against New Zealand, he dragged India past the 250-run mark with his unbeaten 26 off 8 balls. Hardik Pandya – 8.5/10 Man with the golden arm With the bat, Hardik Pandya was decent as he slammed two fifties against Namibia in the group stage and then against Zimbabwe in Super 8. However, he was there to pick up crucial wickets when the team needed him the most. Pandya got two wickets in the Group Stage against Pakistan. Then, in the virtual quarterfinal and knockout games, he got at least a wicket while maintaining an economy of 10 or below. Axar Patel – 8.5/10 Underrated but top-notch performance on the field Axar Patel was phenomenal on the field as he took crucial catches in the semifinal against England. In total, he grabbed four catches in the tournament. Even his assists with the catch were unforgettable. Keeping aside the game against West Indies, where he conceded runs at an economy of just 8.67, he got a wicket in every game. Meanwhile, his best performance came against New Zealand in the finals, scalping three for just 27 runs in four overs. Washington Sundar – 5/10 Couldn’t deliver to his merit of play He just played two games and could not deliver as per his merit. In the game against South Africa, where he got preference over Axar, the India all-rounder scored 11 runs in 11 balls. With the ball in the Super 8 opener, he bowled 2 overs and gave away 17 runs. So it can be said that it was a meagre opportunity and even miser result. Spinners Kuldeep Yadav – 5/10 Got an opportunity as per the combination demanded Kuldeep Yadav featured in just one match for Team India in their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign, against Pakistan. The chinaman bowler picked up one wicket while conceding 14 runs in three overs as India went on to defeat by 61 runs in a Group A fixture. Kuldeep was left on the bench because of team combinations. With Varun Chakaravarthy as the main spinner and Axar Patel or Washington Sundar playing, the management did not consider the need for an additional spin bowling option. But Kuldeep surely did make an impact in his only match and thus, gets 5/10. Varun Chakravarthy – 7/10 Leading wicket-taker but highly expensive Varun Chakaravarthy carried a load of expectations heading into the T20 World Cup and although he finished as the joint-highest wicket taker alongside Jasprit Bumrah, it was a tournament he would not like to recall much. The No 1 ranked T20I spinner had a decent group stage, but his economy started to take a hit from the Super 8 round. Varun, known for his economical bowling, conceded runs left, right and centre and finished with an economy rate of 9.25. Yes, despite being expensive, he managed to pick up a wicket in every game, which earns him a 7. Fast Bowlers Jasprit Bumrah- 9/10 Another day, another tournament special for the GOAT Jasprit Bumrah was one of the main driving forces in India’s T20 World Cup triumph. The premier pacer, who has proved time and again why he is the absolute best of this generation, came up clutch every time India found themselves under pressure. And it is no surprise that he earns a solid 9. Bumrah finished as the highest wicket-taker with 14 scalps alongside Varun but was just unstoppable all tournament long. In eight matches, Bumrah picked up 14 wickets at a stunning economy rate of 6.21. One of the biggest highlights of his performance in the T20 World Cup came in the semifinal against England. His last two overs, which yielded just 14 runs was eventually the difference-maker as England fell agonisingly short by just seven runs. Arshdeep Singh – 7/10 Sher-e-Punjab with the new ball in hand Arshdeep Singh was also instrumental in India’s win. The left-arm pacer opened the bowling for India. And although he regularly did not provide India with the early wickets, it was his ability to keep the batters under check that earned him 7/10. The left-arm pacer played eight games and picked up nine wickets, with his best figures being 3/24. Mohammed Siraj – 6/10 Mia Magic got fewer opportunities Mohammed Siraj made the most of the only opportunity he got. The pacer got an opportunity in the playing XI for India’s campaign opener against USA with Bumrah being ill. And Siraj showed just why he was such a special bowler. After India managed 161/9, Siraj provided India with early wickets as he dismissed both USA openers (Andries Gous and Saiteja Mukkamalla) and finished with a three-wicket haul. It is also important to note that Siraj joined the team just a day as a late replacement following Harshit Rana being ruled out of the tournament.