‘India deserved to win’: Afridi praises Samson, Bumrah for their performances in T20 World Cup

Legendary all-rounder and former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has praised India for becoming the first team in history to defend the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup title. Afridi said in a video on X that India deserved the win after beating New Zealand by 96 runs to clinch the 2026 T20 World Cup on Sunday, March 8.“The World Cup is over. I think India deserve to win. They have a great team combination. The players on the bench are as good as the players in the squad. That’s why I say your bench needs to be strong. India’s bench is very strong; they can pick anyone from there and put them in the squad. They have played the entire tournament as champions,” Afridi said in a video on his X account.

Afridi said Bumrah is one of the best bowlers and he has been carrying the burden of India for a long time with his impressive performances.Afridi also praised the performance of Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan, who were instrumental in India’s win.“Sanju Samson did a great job. He took his chances and delivered with his smart batting and ability to set up the innings. Abhishek Sharma also performed well tonight. Ishan Kishan also performed well, just like he did against Pakistan. Jasprit Bumrah Bumrah is the backbone of their bowling and he has been carrying India on his back for a long time with his impressive performances, be it new ball, old ball, slow ball or yorker, he is one of the best bowlers in my country,” he added.India successfully defended their title by winning the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup and created history by becoming the first team to defend the trophy. They also became the first country to win the Men’s T20 World Cup on home soil. With this victory, India has now won the T20 World Cup three times in 2007, 2024 and 2026, becoming the team with the most titles in the history of the tournament.