Policy, System, Merit: Shoaib Akhtar pinpoints 3 Wins as India triumph in T20 World Cup, Heaps praise on Gambhir

Add as a preferred source on Google

Former Pakistan player Shoaib Akhtar has hailed India's Cricket policy as the Indian team won their third T20 World Cup title on Sunday (March 8), beating New Zealand in the final in Ahmedabad.

India scripted history, defeating New Zealand by 96 runs in the T20 World Cup final at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium.

Batting first, India posted a record-breaking 255/5 in the final, powered by Sanju Samson's explosive 89 off 46 balls, Abhishek Sharma's quick 52, and Ishan Kishan's 54. Shivam Dube provided late fireworks. Jasprit Bumrah then dismantled New Zealand with 4/15, while Axar Patel claimed 3 wickets, bowling them out for 159. This marked India's third T20 World Cup title (after 2007 and 2024), making them the first team to win three times.

India create 5 Prestigious Records as they win T20 World Cup 2026 beating New Zealand

Amid India's resurgence, Pakistan remain in the dark. The continuous instability in the Pakistan Cricket Board has taken a toll in its performance on the pitch, and the most recent tournament was not an excpetion as they were ousted from Super 8 stages.

Shoaib Akhtar hails BCCI's Policy

And former Pakistan player Shoaib Akhtar credited India's structured system as the reason behind the success.

"I will say 2-3 things about India. First, their policy won. Then their system won. Most importantly, their merit won. It was also that the money would not have been spent in the right place," Akhtar said on Tapmad.

"And the way they are spending money on their systems, on grounds, on policies. Look at their labs, their biomechanical labs. Look at their training centers, their machines. Look at their injection of the money. And in the end, how beautifully they respect their elders. How beautifully they have called their captains. Today they are standing. And today they are celebrating. Today as India, as a unit, they are celebrating," he added.

Gautam Gambhir deserves Credit: Akhtar

Akhtar also credited Gautam Gambhir for backing the youngsters despite their off-form. The likes of Samson and Abhishek have had their tough times but the team management and the head coach shielded them and stuck with the players despite their lack of form.

"Hasn't Gautam Gambhir proved that he can win the tournament with two players? India were lacking one, and he brought in Sanju Samson. Despite all the odds, he didn't drop one and took a huge risk on the basis of merit, and that's Sanju Samson," Akhtar said.

"Today, their merit and policy won. And they have depicted that 'we think in the right way. We give the right chance to the right person. We try to play the right player who can win the tournament for us,'" he added.

Akhtar also hailed the Indian team's growth despite the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from the T20 format, who bid adieu after the T20 World Cup crown in 2024.