Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], March 9 (ANI): Varun Chakaravarthy described India's ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 triumph as one of the top moments of his career, highlighting the historic nature of the win.

Speaking on JioHotstar, Chakaravarthy said the victory felt surreal, particularly because India became the first team to defend the T20 World Cup and the first host nation to lift the trophy.

'Definitely among the top moments of my career, because it's the World Cup. No team has won it back-to-back, and no hosting nation has won it, so it has to rank among the best. It feels like my life has come full circle because when I started cricket at 26, it felt too late, but now I have just won a World Cup for the country, and it feels surreal. There are two things,' he said.

Chakaravarthy elaborated on the challenges he faced during the tournament, noting that the pitch conditions were highly batter-friendly, making it tough for a spinner. Yet, he managed to make crucial breakthroughs at key moments.

'These are super batter-friendly wickets, so it was a little challenging for me, but on the other hand, I was able to pick up wickets here and there, which was crucial from my side,' he added.

The mystery spinner also credited India's leadership for their confidence in him, particularly in the final. 'Secondly, credit has to go to Surya and Gauti (Gambhir) bhai, they never even had an iota of doubt that I wouldn't play in the final. They told me, 'Even if you go for 60 in four overs for the next 10 matches, you are going to play,'' Chakaravarthy said.

India became the first team to win the T20 World Cup on home soil, also the first to win consecutive titles, and the only team to lift the trophy three times (2007, 2024, and 2026).

Coming to the match, New Zealand won the toss and elected to field first. However, a record-breaking fifty from return-to-form Abhishek Sharma (52 in 21 balls, with six fours and three sixes) and his 98-run stand with Samson made NZ regret the decision.

Later, Samson stitched a century stand with Ishan Kishan (54 in 25 balls, with four boundaries and four sixes) to take India past the 200-run mark in the 16th over. After a brief slowdown, Shivam Dube (26* in eight balls, with three fours and two sixes) made some valuable runs to take India to 255/5, the highest total in T20WC finals.

James Neesham (3/46) was the leading wicket-taker for NZ.

In the run-chase of 256 runs, Axar and Bumrah helped India reduce the Kiwis to 72/5, despite a half-century from Tim Seifert (52 in 26 balls, with two fours and five sixes). Despite a brief partnership between Daryl Mitchell (17) and skipper Mitchell Santner (43 in 35 balls, with three fours and two sixes), India kept chipping in with wickets, and the Kiwis were bundled out for just 159 runs. (ANI)