New Delhi, March 11 – India’s historic defense of their Men’s T20 World Cup title was built on a foundation of sheer dominance and a “team-first” ethos. Under head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav, the Indian team smashed a record 106 sixes and became the first team in the tournament’s history to maintain a run rate of above 10 runs per over.
Behind this relentless power-hitting, there were many contributors – Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan finished among the tournament’s leading scorers with strike rates above 200, while players like Abhishek Sharma, captain Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, and Hardik Pandya all contributed whenever needed.
India overcame early slumps to deliver in high-stakes knockout games, and with the euphoria of World Cup victory still high, India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak sat down for an exclusive conversation with IANS on the feeling of becoming World Cup winners again, the selfless team culture, the turning point of the campaign, and more.
Excerpts:
Q. The Indian team has done what no other side has done before – win the T20 World Cup thrice, clinch it consecutively, and that too on home soil. How does it feel to be world champions in the shortest format?
A. It's an incredible feeling because, if you look back, I came to the Indian team about a year and two months ago. Then we won the Champions Trophy, followed by the Asia Cup, and now this third trophy in a year. Winning the World Cup is a huge achievement because it's the biggest event in the cricketing world.
The key thing was that even though we had won one before, and no other country had won back-to-back titles and no other host country had won. Everyone expects India to win when they host the World Cup. So, that was also on my mind – that we had to win the T20 World Cup in India, no matter what.
So, it’s a very happy feeling. I’m also happy for my country because so many people support us, and they deserve this trophy. It’s a great feeling for everyone on the Indian team, including me.
Another thing I want to share is that in 2024, I was the head coach of India ‘A’ and also the batting coach of the NCA (now CoE). When I wasn't part of the team, I was excited to see the Indian team win the World Cup, and I felt that as a spectator.
That's why I feel this way right now because when you're with the team, you see the expectations and the joy of winning. It's more than just the individual performance. When you're part of the team, winning becomes more common. But what does it mean for the public, especially for me? I know it, because I've been there.
So, I'm really happy that we won, and a lot of credit goes to the players. They handle the pressure and perform well. So, the credit should go to them. But I'm also very happy to be a part of this World Cup-winning group in India.
Q. In such a high-pressure tournament, where everyone’s eyes were on the Indian team replicating their good batting run in bilateral T20I games, how important was it to have that selfless and team-first mindset?
A. The dedication of Sanju and everyone on practice days was very impressive. I must tell you – look at someone like Siraj. In the first match against the USA, he took three wickets. But he couldn't play in the rest of the games because Bumrah came in. Then Kuldeep – he won so many matches for India. Or even Washington.
Then Rinku was out of the eleven, or Sanju wasn't playing, but the whole team played together as a unit. No one was thinking about their own performance. There wasn't this mindset of "I should be playing or why am I not playing."
That's how you become a champion team – when there are selfless people on the side. In a way, that was our strength that our team was totally selfless, and that's what actually happened in the end. I think to win such a big tournament, the things that happened, eventually went well.
Like Shubman got injured on his right foot, and he wasn't in good form. Then Ishan Kishan came in and performed really well. Plus, if you observe, we had three top batters in Abhishek, Ishan, and Tilak in 3-4 matches, and that left-handed combination was very important.
Then to change that combination, Sanju was brought back, and he did very well in the end. Sometimes I feel that all of this was destiny or ‘bhagwan ka ishaara’. Everyone did everything for this team, and that's why we got such a good result.
A lot of credit goes to the players for this win. Can I tell you the truth? If you ask me, I have made just a small contribution. Yes, I do work as the batting coach, but a lot of credit goes to the players because they have to handle the pressure and execute their shots.
Then a lot of credit also goes to Gautam and Surya because they are responsible for everything. They have the pressure, and I have a small contribution to make, and I do that. But I would give a lot of credit to these guys – the players, the captain, and the coach.
Q. In your opinion, what was the turning point of India’s campaign in this competition?
A. I can't say one thing as the turning point. But I feel that in the first few matches, because of Abhishek's form and the spinners causing trouble for the three left-handed batsmen, it wasn't working, and that momentum wasn't there. Since the time I joined the team from the white-ball series against England in January 2025, we had a strong momentum in T20Is that year.
Only in the beginning of the World Cup, from the first match, we were a little concerned that the momentum wasn't working. I was confident that it would work, but after the loss to South Africa, we had to do well in the remaining four games, and we did.
The way we played cricket, we got that back at the right time, as all the games after that defeat to South Africa were knockout matches. It was compulsory for us to win against Zimbabwe, and we did. We won all four of our remaining knockout games in that fashion. The way we batted in those four games, we created that momentum we were craving to have, and that was very important for us to win.
Q. What will be that one moment or a collection of moments from this campaign which will stay forever in your mind?
A. I can't pinpoint at any one memory from this campaign. But I am so happy to be a part of this group – winning a T20 World Cup in India is always special. All the odds were against us, so as the records and data – like the host nation didn't win a T20 World Cup and no one ever won back-to-back titles. By achieving all of that, we were able to win this World Cup for our country, and that will be forever memorable for me.
Q. In the post-win celebrations, your family also joined in. Can you talk a bit about their contributions while you were busy guiding the Indian batters to success in the competition?
A. They have contributed a lot. I am out of the house for 10 months, and if you talk about my wife, she has been very great in looking after the house and the kids. Now with the kids grown up, they also miss me – like they have their own careers and ups and downs. They sometimes feel like their father is not around for a much longer time.
All of this is part of the journey, but they came to the ground for the final, and we won the trophy – so I give a lot of credit to my family. They don't let me feel that I am missing out because sometimes this journey is tough. When you are out, there are a lot of ups and downs which you can't even discuss with people.
Situations like that come in everyone’s life, but at least when you can’t stay at one place for a longer time, then you feel the sadness of not having your family around. My wife is the one who has been playing that pivotal role for my family, especially since the time when my mother and father were also there.
My sister is also one of my big supporting figures. Unfortunately, her daughter's health was bad, so she couldn't come to watch the final. But that is life, and I am very thankful to all of them. I was so happy that they were very happy to see a World Cup win at home and be a part of seeing it live, as well as soak in the surreal feeling after the post-game ceremonies were over. So honestly, God has been very kind actually.
Q. You now have a few months of break before the international action begins again. How does the planning for future events in both white-ball and red-ball look like from your perspective?
A. Yes, a couple of months of break is there now, but there's still a lot to look forward to. Aside from the future white-ball ICC events, there are Test matches around and a WTC final in 2027. We will definitely try to play in that WTC final and win for India, which we haven't won yet.
But the efforts will be there for making it happen, and rest assured we will do that. It has to come – the good run in red-ball cricket. The BCCI is doing so much for all of us, and a lot of credit has to go to them also. Like our domestic structure and IPL, we are getting such good players for the national team.
They don't just come in picture like that – top to top administrators and right down to people at the bottom, who work in domestic cricket, they should also get a lot of credit for winning the World Cup because this is also a pathway which is so strong, and that’s why our players are so strong.
A lot of credit to NCA (now CoE) also, as well as to Rahul bhai and (VVS) Laxman sir. I have been a part of this and have seen how tough it is behind the scenes and when you are not in the limelight. They work so hard, so they should also get a lot of credit, and to the BCCI as well, without a doubt.
They are creating such a comfortable life for juniors, Ranji Trophy and IPL players, as only then these players can grow so much because having that security, especially the financial security is important in today’s world. So credit to all the stakeholders, and it is a small contribution that I am making, and till the time I am there, I will keep doing it.