After 840 days of crying over spilt milk, the odd Indian cricket fan finally got to have the (cup)cake and eat it as Suryakumar Yadav and Co. flipped the script at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday (March 8, 2026). The 2023 ODI final loss is now well and truly a thing of the past.

“Very happy. It will take a little bit of time to sink in. Have just come out of a good game at home. When we wake up tomorrow, it will be a special feeling,” the Indian captain said after recording a massive 96-run win against New Zealand.

Suryakumar also reserved praise for coach Gautam Gambhir, who sat beside the skipper at the press conference. He said, “I knew Gauti bhai’s expectations of me. There were so many times when we were both picking a team of 14 players and still ended up picking the same people. The camaraderie was always there. There have been no arguments because we were always focussed on what was beneficial for the team.”

Gambhir had a long list of people to thank. He said, “Indian cricket is in such good shape because of Rahul (Dravid) bhai. V.V.S. Laxman has unconditionally worked hard at (the BCCI) CoE to look after the pipeline of Indian cricket. Ajit Agarkar has worked with a lot of honesty. And lastly Jay (Shah) bhai, because not many people have called me when I was at the lowest point of my life. Until these guys are there, I think Indian cricket is in very, very safe hands.”

Suryakumar and Gambhir leave the hall knowing it is time for the party to rage long into the good night. They would want to soak in the moment until yet another T20 carnival swoops in in about three weeks’ time.