India’s celebrations after winning their second ICC Men’s T20 World Cup title in just 18 months were surprisingly calm. The team looked happy with smiles and hugs, and a few players even broke into an impromptu bhangra after one of the most dominant wins in an ICC final. But overall, the celebrations were not overly dramatic, perhaps showing that winning has become normal for India’s T20 side.
The reactions of the players suggested they believed only a very bad performance could have stopped them from lifting the trophy.
When Rohit Sharma and his team won the 2024 final in Barbados, it ended years of heartbreak in major tournaments. Compared to that, the victory on Sunday night felt almost expected.
The current Indian squad has an average age close to 30, which means most of the players should still be in peak form when the next T20 World Cup is held in Australia and New Zealand in the second half of 2028.
Eyes on Olympic gold and 2028 World cup
Before defending the title there, the team will also have a chance to chase something special, an Olympic gold medal – when cricket returns to the Summer Olympics at Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, marking the sport’s return after 128 years.
Among India’s 15-member squad, only captain Suryakumar Yadav, who is 35, is already past 30, but he believes he can still play both major events in 2028.
“Throughout the journey till today, it has been very special and collectively as a team what we’ve achieved, I think it’s right in front of you so very happy with that. Definitely the next goal is Olympics, Olympic gold and also the T20 World Cup that year. Don’t forget,” reminded Suryakumar to a packed press conference room after completing a clinical rout of New Zealand national cricket team in Ahmedabad.
Though he has not been as consistent recently as he would like, Suryakumar still believes he can contribute in the next T20 cycle and help India maintain its dominance.
“Five years?” inquired Suryakumar when asked about his motivation to maintain India’s superiority in the next four to five years.
After being given the freedom to set his own timeline, Suryakumar said “let’s do it”.
“Obviously very excited the way things have gone since 2024. The way we’ve played, we won three ICC trophies in a row (including ODI Champions Trophy).
“I think that drought ended in 2024 after a really long time and from there we never looked back. We knew how we wanted to play going forward. Everything was changed post 2024.
“We won an ICC Champions Trophy in 2025 (under Rohit Sharma), played a completely different brand of cricket, and now in 2026, we wanted to do something special in front of home crowd right here. So, we want to continue doing that in 2027, 28, 29 and never stop,” said Suryakumar, who plays only the T20 format.
Pandya eyes many more ICC titles
Another senior player, Hardik Pandya, who is 32, believes he still has a long career ahead and hopes to win many more global titles.
If fellow 32-year-old Jasprit Bumrah, often called a national treasure, manages his workload well in the coming years, India’s chances of winning a third straight title could improve even further.
Speaking to Star Sports, Pandya explained how his personal journey differed between the 2024 and 2026 campaigns.
After the 2024 triumph in Barbados, senior players Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja, along with Rohit Sharma, announced their retirement from T20 internationals.
“The win had a lot of difficulties, a lot had happened. For me, that was about redemption and make my fifth comeback. This win is is something I lived for and played cricket for,” said Pandya.
Pandya appeared to be the most energetic during the celebrations and laughed when he was called one of the senior players in the squad.
“It sounds very good that I am a senior player but I have still got 10 years left. Half of my career is over and half is left. I want to win at least 10 ICC trophies. I have got three. In 10 years, I want to win six-seven at least. That is my goal,” added Pandya.
The team management and selectors also took some bold decisions before the tournament. These included dropping vice-captain Shubman Gill to make room for Sanju Samson as an opener and bringing Ishan Kishan back into the squad unexpectedly.
In the end, the results showed that these tough calls worked well. However, the selectors may have to take more difficult decisions in the future to ensure that India’s winning run continues in the next cycle.