India comprehensively defeated New Zealand in the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the Narendra Modi Stadium. The Men in Blue defeated the Kiwis by 96 runs in the final to lift their third T20 World Cup trophy. It was a one-sided affair in the final as the home team scored 255/5 and bowled out the Black Caps for 159 runs.
The Men in Blue hit three milestones after winning their third silverware. They became the first team to win three ICC T20 World Cups. Subsequently, Suryakumar Yadav’s team became the first team to win the trophy in two consecutive editions of the tournament and ultimately also became the country’s first team to win the competition on home soil.
South Africa was the best team – Steve Harmison
However, former England fast bowler Steve Harmison believes that India were not the best team in the tournament. The fast bowler described South Africa as the best team in the competition. Speaking on the TalkSport Cricket YouTube channel, Harmison explained his reasoning.
Here is the video
“The partnership of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson largely won the final for India. Bumrah made the difference throughout the tournament on a flat track. I don’t think India were the best team in this tournament. South Africa were the best team. India were the best ‘moment’ team. They won in the best moments,” Harmison said.
I don’t think they were that confident – Steve Harmison
“I don’t think they were that confident in the group stage. After that, they won in moments. They had trouble against West Indies in the quarter-finals. India found a way to win even though they didn’t play well because of their big players.”
“But South Africa were the more consistent team in the tournament, except for that one game in which Finn Allen had to miss a day. Handling the pressure and performing well in big moments, India did it better than anyone else.”
India had a start-stop type of tournament. In the very first game, they almost lost to the United States; However, a masterclass from Suryakumar Yadav saved the team. But the Men in Blue’s winning streak was finally broken in the first Super 8 game against South Africa, which served as a wake-up call for the team.
After that match, the champion team never looked back and won every game unilaterally. Although there were problems with their bowling, there were problems in the final as well and New Zealand had no answers.
Not only do they [India] One of the best teams is- Steve Harmison
Steve Harmison also took a dig when asked whether the India national cricket team will continue its dominance in the white-ball format in the coming years, as the Men in Blue have won every ICC white-ball tournament since their loss to Australia in the 2023 ODI World Cup.
Harmison said, “If they maintain this in India as well then they will maintain their dominance. Not only do they have one of the best teams and talent pools in the world, but they actually have it in their own home country. So there is not much to do for India at this stage because the BCCI is as powerful, if not more powerful, than the ICC.”
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