Legendary West Indies batter Sir Viv Richards has praised India’s supremacy in the white-ball formats after the Men in Blue lifted the T20 World Cup 2026 title. Suryakumar Yadav’s team registered a comprehensive 96-run win against New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on Sunday to defend their title. India became the first team to win the T20 World Cup title on three occasions and also the first host nation to win the T20I showpiece.

Earlier, India clinched the 2024 T20 World Cup whereas they also won the Champions Trophy in 2025. India has been ticking the right boxes in the white-ball formats and have had an incredible record in the last two years.

“India have taken the game, in my opinion, to a different level, more so in the limited overs ‘ the ODIs, the T20s,” Richards said on PTI.

“It is a great present for the fans because of the love and the passion that they show for the game in itself. I just think the result would have been the right result because of that love and passion and the country that it is played in,” he added.

The former talisman batter also likened India’s dominance to the success his own West Indies team enjoyed during the early years of limited-overs cricket.

He added, “We won the very first World Cup in 1975 and next one in 1979. So, cricket had a huge part to play where we are as West Indians. And more so, the folks who would have been fans of the West Indies teams of the past certainly will remember some of the great times that we had.”

Indian players are playing with a lot of freedom and without any fear in T20Is, which is helping them reap rewards at the top level.