NEW DELHI: India’s historic T20 World Cup triumph not only thrilled fans worldwide but also triggered a rare social media moment involving two of the country’s most iconic cricket figures — MS Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Shortly after India sealed a dominant 96-run victory over New Zealand in the final, Dhoni returned to Instagram after nearly two years to congratulate the team and support staff. The former India captain, who attended the final in Ahmedabad, couldn’t resist making a playful remark about Gambhir’s famously intense personality.

“History gets created at Ahmedabad, big congratulations to the team and support staff and to all the fans of the Indian Cricket Team worldwide. Such a pleasure to see all of you play,” Dhoni wrote.But it was his cheeky comment on Gambhir that quickly went viral.“Coach Sahab smile looks great on you, intensity with smile is a killer combo, very well done. Enjoy guys… Bumrah ke baare mein kuch na likhoon toh hi achha hai. Champion bowler,” Dhoni added, praising India’s pace spearhead while referencing Gambhir’s typically serious demeanour.Gambhir, who served as head coach during India’s successful title run, responded warmly to Dhoni’s message.“And what a reason to smile, great seeing you,” Gambhir wrote in reply, acknowledging the former captain’s presence at the stadium.

The exchange captured the attention of fans, given the pair’s long history in Indian cricket. Gambhir was a crucial member of Dhoni’s World Cup-winning sides, playing match-defining knocks in both the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 ODI World Cup finals.

Sunday’s final produced another memorable chapter in India’s white-ball legacy. Led by Suryakumar Yadav, India piled up a formidable 255/5 after explosive contributions from Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma.The bowlers then sealed the emphatic victory, with Jasprit Bumrah producing a sensational spell of 4 for 15.

The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad became the epicenter of a global cricketing earthquake on Sunday, March 8. Under the shimmering lights of the world’s largest cricket arena, India didn’t just play a final; they delivered a masterclass. Facing a resilient New Zealand side in the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Final, the Men in Blue secured a clinical 96-run victory. This historic win marks India’s third T20 World Cup title and a rare, back-to-back championship reign that has cemented this squad’s status as an all-time great dynasty.

As the final wicket fell and the fireworks illuminated the Ahmedabad sky, the celebration didn’t stay confined to the pitch. From the streets of Mumbai to the hills of Himachal, the nation erupted. Leading this charge of unbridled joy were the icons of Indian cinema, as Bollywood stars went gaga on social media, turning the digital space into a virtual victory parade.

Bollywood stars celebrate wildly as India secures consecutive T20 World Cup titles

For the film industry, the victory was more than just a sporting achievement; it was a moment of national pride that demanded a standing ovation. Anushka Sharma, always the team’s most dedicated cheerleader, was among the first to react. Sharing a vibrant image of the squad soaked in confetti, she hailed the “phenomenal victory” of the “brilliant team,” acknowledging the immense pressure they carried as hosts.

Anil Kapoor, brought his signature wit to the festivities. Posting a picture of himself enjoying a fruit platter while watching the trophy presentation, he quipped, “Aaj Kiwi thodi zyada hi meethi lag rahi hai…” (Today, the Kiwi tastes a little extra sweet), a playful nod to the defeated New Zealand side. Meanwhile, Ajay Devgn took to X (formerly Twitter) to capture the collective heartbeat of the country, noting that the team made “billions of hearts beat with pride.”

The younger generation of stars was equally electric. Ananya Panday kept it classic with a jubilant “We are the champions,” while Rakul Preet Singh highlighted the emotional weight of the journey, calling it a “moment for the nation” that transcended the sport itself. Even the “Begum” of Bollywood, Kareena Kapoor Khan, shared the official victory post with a simple, definitive caption: “Champions.”

Also READ: Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni and other cricket stars lead congratulatory messages for India’s T20 World Cup 2026 triumph

Here’s how Bollywood stars reacted:

My throat is gone from all the shouting, but my smile isn’t going anywhere all week!#TeamIndia you have made billions of hearts beat with pride tonight! CHAMPIONS once again! 🇮🇳🙌

— Ajay Devgn (@ajaydevgn) March 8, 2026

Champions. Again. 🇮🇳🏆
What a team, what a journey, what a moment for the nation.
Take a bow, Team India!

— Rakul Singh (@Rakulpreet) March 8, 2026

T 5679 – कहा था नहीं देखूँगा तो जीत जाएँगे ! हो गया ! pic.twitter.com/JHgQyc2v2S

— Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) March 8, 2026

Congratulations boys 🤗 🥳 cheers 🥂 #TeamIndia #T20WorldCup2026final

— Kapil Sharma (@KapilSharmaK9) March 8, 2026

New Zealand submits to Indian dominance in the grand finale

While the celebrations were glamorous, the cricket was gritty. Entering the final as defending champions, India faced a New Zealand team known for their tactical brilliance. However, the ‘Black Caps’ found no answers to India’s clinical execution. Batting first, India set a formidable target, fuelled by aggressive opening stands and a mid-innings blitz that left the visitors chasing shadows.

The second innings was a display of bowling perfection. India’s pace battery and spin twins suffocated the New Zealand chase, leading to a staggering 96-run margin of victory. The discipline shown by the Indian bowlers turned the high-stakes final into a one-sided affair by the penultimate overs.

This victory is particularly sweet as it marks India’s first T20 World Cup win on home soil. By successfully defending their 2024 crown, Suryakumar Yadav’s men (and the rising stars under his wing) have proven that their dominance isn’t just a streak—it’s the new standard. As Sunny Deol aptly noted in his tribute to the team’s “fearless spirit,” this win wasn’t just about talent; it was about the mental fortitude to remain kings of the world for two consecutive cycles.

Also READ: President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulate India on clinching the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 title

Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma of India lift the trophy (Getty Images)

Former England captain Michael Atherton has declared India national cricket team the leading force in limited-overs cricket, saying their recent dominance puts them in a strong position to potentially hold all three ICC white-ball trophies at the same time.India reinforced their status by defeating New Zealand national cricket team by 96 runs in the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup on Sunday. The victory secured a record third title for India and also made them the first side to successfully defend the T20 World Cup. It was also the first time a team had lifted the trophy on home soil.

Speaking on Sky Sports Cricket, Atherton said India’s excellence extends beyond the T20 format and reflects their broader dominance in white-ball cricket.“India are more than a pre-eminent T20 side. They are the pre-eminent white-ball side at the moment,” Atherton said.He pointed to India’s remarkable record across recent ICC tournaments to underline the point.“In the last few ICC global events, before today, they have won 30 out of 32 games. They have only been beaten in the final of the 50-over World Cup here by Australia, and that game by South Africa earlier in this tournament.“Across the board in white-ball cricket, they are the pre-eminent side. They were the strongest side here and deserve their victory,” he added.India’s run of dominance in ICC limited-overs competitions began during the 2023 Cricket World Cup, where they won every match before losing the final to Australia national cricket team. The team then went through the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup unbeaten and followed it with another perfect campaign in the ICC Champions Trophy in 2025.Their only setback in the latest T20 World Cup came against South Africa national cricket team during the Super Eight stage.With another Cricket World Cup scheduled for next year, Atherton believes India now have a realistic chance of holding every ICC limited-overs trophy simultaneously.“They may well mop it all up, there is a 50-over World Cup next year, and they have the chance now to hold the Champions Trophy, T20 World Cup, and the 50-over World Cup all in one go, and that will surely be their aim,” Atherton said.Another former England skipper, Nasser Hussain, believes India’s consistent success comes from a simple but highly effective formula. According to him, a batting order packed with aggressive power-hitters combined with the brilliance of pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah makes the team extremely difficult to beat.“India’s formula is pretty simple.“A batting lineup full of powerful hitters that will get you an above par score and a bowler in Bumrah, who makes a below par score probably enough. He’s an absolute genius, and when you combine those two elements, they’re virtually unbeatable,” he added.

Urges Experts, Policymakers To Work On New Training Models

NEW DELHI: PM Narendra Modi on Monday highlighted the growing importance of the care economy and telemedicine in strengthening India’s healthcare system, saying both sectors will play a key role in expanding services and creating new employment opportunities in the coming years.Addressing the fourth post-Budget webinar on ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas – Fulfilling Aspirations of People’, Modi said India must prepare its youth for emerging job opportunities in healthcare, digital technologies and innovation-driven sectors as demand for healthcare services expands both domestically and globally.“In the coming decade, the number of senior citizens in the country will increase rapidly. In addition, today there is a huge demand for caregivers in many countries. Therefore, the health sector is creating new skill-based employment opportunities for millions of youth,” Prime Minister Modi said, describing the care economy as an important area for future workforce growth.He urged experts and policymakers to work on new training models and partnerships that can strengthen the country’s health workforce and equip young people with skills required in caregiving and allied services.The PM also pointed to the growing role of telemedicine in widening healthcare access across the country. “Today a large number of people in remote areas are benefiting from telemedicine and their trust in it is increasing. However, there is still a need to increase awareness and ease of access,” he said.Modi noted that India is working on a broader vision centred on preventive and holistic healthcare, while expanding health infrastructure across the country. Over the past few years, healthcare capacity has increased with new medical colleges opening in hundreds of districts.He also cited the expansion of services through the Ayushman Bharat programme and the network of health and wellness centres, which are aimed at taking primary healthcare services closer to rural communities.Modi said fulfilling people’s aspirations requires strengthening sectors such as education, skills and health together.

NEW DELHI: Despite a slight dip in imports due to govt’s impetus on ‘Make-in-India’ weapons, India remains the world’s second-largest importer of major arms, accounting for 8.2% of the global share between 2021 and 2025, according to a new report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).The report also highlights a sharp decline in New Delhi’s decades-long dependence on Russia for arms supply. Moscow’s share, the report, says has fallen from 70% in 2011-15 to 40% in 2021-25, with France and Israel becoming the big gainers, as their respective shares rising to 29% and 15%. The 4% fall in India’s arms imports compared to 2016-2020 cycle was due to the country’s stress on indigenous weapons. “The decrease can be partly attributed to India’s growing ability to design and produce its own weapons — although there are often substantial delays in domestic production,” the report said.This trend in Indian imports will continue in the coming years as a series of big-ticket defence deals with western countries are on the cards, including 114 Rafale fighter jets from France (may cost approximately Rs 3.25 lakh crore), six air-independent propulsion (AIP)-equipped conventional submarines from Germany, six additional P-8I Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft from the US, and several deals on missile defence systems and drones with Israel.The Sipri report also mentioned the May 2025 Operation Sindoor, emphasising that India’s arsenal is mainly driven by the dual threat from China and Pakistan. “In South Asia, the high volume of arms that India imports is largely due to the perceived threat from China and to India’s long-running conflict with the main recipient of Chinese arms exports, Pakistan. Imported weapons were used in the 2025 clash between India and Pakistan, both nuclear-armed states,” the SIPRI analyst said.When it comes to India’s rival Pakistan, its military hardware is majorly sourced from China, with nearly 80% of its arms imports coming from Beijing, according to the report. Pakistan was the fifth largest recipient of major arms globally in 2021-25, up from 10th place in 2016-20. Its arms imports rose by 66% between the two periods, accounting for 4.2% of total global arms imports.Globally, the report said the top five arms importers in 2021-25 were Ukraine, India, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Pakistan, which together accounted for 35% of total arms imports. The report also said there was a rise of 9.2% in arms trade between 2021 and 2025 compared to the 2016-2020 period.The US remained the world’s largest arms exporter, accounting for 42% of global arms exports during the period. France was the second largest exporter with a 9.8% share, while Russia ranked third with 6.8%. The US exported arms to 99 states in 2021–25, including 35 states in Europe, 18 in the Americas, 17 in Africa, 17 in Asia and Oceania and 12 in West Asia.It said Europe accounted for the largest share of global arms imports for the first time since the 1960s, driven largely by the war in Ukraine and rising security concerns across the region. Europe accounted for 33% of global arms imports, followed by Asia and Oceania at 31% and West Asia at 26%.Globally also, Russia’s share of global arms exports declined sharply from 21% in 2016-20 to 6.8% in 2021-25, mainly due to major drops in exports to countries such as Algeria, China and Egypt.

Head coach Gautam Gambhir showered rich praise on Sanju Samson following India’s successful campaign at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, describing the wicketkeeper-batter’s performances as “special” and a true reflection of his character under immense pressure.Samson emerged as one of the biggest heroes of the tournament, producing three successive match-winning performances that ultimately earned him the Player of the Tournament award. His standout contribution came in the final against New Zealand national cricket team, where he struck a brilliant 89 to guide India to the title.

During the post-match interaction, Gambhir was asked whether Samson’s all-round impact reminded him of Yuvraj Singh’s legendary run in the 2011 Cricket World Cup. However, the India head coach was quick to distance the two achievements, insisting that comparisons between players were unfair.“Look, it’s not fair to compare two people. I think Sanju, what he’s done… see, again, Sanju did that three in a row, three in a row doing it and especially after coming back from the kind of form that he was in. You know, it takes so much of character and courage where you know that maybe your career is on the line,” Gambhir said.The former India opener stressed that Samson’s journey in the tournament made his success even more remarkable. The Kerala batter had entered the World Cup under scrutiny after a poor series against New Zealand national cricket team and also spent the early part of the competition out of the playing XI.According to Gambhir, overcoming those challenges and delivering such impactful performances required extraordinary mental strength.“Even if the captain and I can show as much faith, trust, everything in him, deep inside you know that obviously you didn’t have a great series against New Zealand before the start of the World Cup, and then you didn’t start on the playing level during the World Cup. Then making a comeback like that and playing those kinds of innings with that kind of, what, strike rate or with that kind of flamboyance… You need to have a special player, you need to be a special talent,” he noted.Gambhir added that the team management never doubted Samson’s ability and only wanted him to play with freedom when the opportunity came.“It was never about doubting his talent. He just had to go out there and be as free as he wanted to be. That is what he has shown to everyone. When you start believing in yourself, I think nothing matters to you apart from that,” he said.Samson’s fearless batting proved decisive as India scripted history by becoming the first team to successfully defend the Men’s T20 World Cup title.Looking ahead, Gambhir believes the tournament could mark the start of an even greater chapter in Samson’s career.“Hopefully he can kick off from here and achieve a lot of great things. I think he deserves a lot more than actually he’s got till now. There was never any doubt about his talent, and this is just the beginning of a remarkable journey.”