The 2026 T20 World Cup final is finally upon us and the initial stages have gone to India. After being put into bat, India's openers raced away to 50 in no time, getting to the milestone inside the fourth over. On a good batting pitch in Ahmedabad, Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson have taken India off to a rollicking start.
A flurry of boundaries have begun in the summit clash and India breezed to 50 in just 24 deliveries, making it the fastest team fifty and first fifty opening stand in a T20 World Cup final. There have been some moments of luck for both batters but neither Abhishek nor Samson has looked too troubled out there in the middle.
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The mixed soil surface for this pitch hints at a lovely batting surface and India will need a score upwards of 190 to be competitive in this final. Historically, 185 or above has never been chased but this surface seems to be a much better batting deck. While the pitch may not be as good as the Wankhede deck, expect batters to have fun.
India opted for an unchanged side, despite strong rumours of Abhishek and Varun Chakaravarthy being benched. To be fair, it was the right decision as it's not wise to drop the no.1 ranked batter and bowler for a game as big as a World Cup final. India will need a score of 190-200, and will hope to get past 210 if possible.
Abhishek raced away to a 18-ball fifty as India set another record of the highest-ever Powerplay total in a T20 World Cup final. The defending champs raced away in a jiffy to 92-0 at the end of the six-over stage.
