Ravi Shastri faces backlash for gaffe in IND vs NZ T20 World Cup final; netizens say he ‘goofed the climax’

India defeated New Zealand by 96 runs in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday, becoming the first team to successfully defend the men’s Twenty20 World Cup title. After being asked to bat first, India set an imposing score of 255–5 and then limited New Zealand to 159 runs in 19 overs.

However, the commentary by veteran broadcaster and former Indian cricketer Ravi Shastri has upset the fans as he said, “Taken in the deep. The ninth wicket goes down”.

When he realised his gaffe, he mentioned, "And it’s all done, actually. It’s India who win the World Cup for the third time. The first team to win back-to-back World Cups and the first hosts to win the T20 World Cup on their home turf. It’s a fantastic performance for India.”

Netizens react

One of the X users said, “What a fumble by Ravi Shastri. How can a commentator forget that it was the last wicket and not the 9th???” Another remarked, “Ravi Shastri ruined the winning moment.”

“Ravi Shastri probably dozed off towards the end there,” quipped the third. “Rare moment of Ravi bhai messing up... disappointing, but let's accept he is also human and tends to make mistakes”, “Ravi Shastri goofed up the climax”, “Ravi Shastri wasted all his energy at the toss” were some other comments.

Later, Shastri congratulated the team, saying, "Many congratulations to Team India! Suryakumar Yadav, Gautam Gambhir and the entire team management, that was a clinical, professional performance of the highest order. Calm under pressure, ruthless when it mattered. Back-to-back T20 World Cup champions, and thoroughly deserved! Take a bow.”

Gavaskar on Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson maintained his outstanding form by scoring a half-century in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup final, marking his third consecutive fifty in the tournament. With this achievement, he became only the third cricketer to record half-centuries in both the semifinal and final, joining Virat Kohli and Shahid Afridi.

Samson reached the milestone in just 33 balls, striking four boundaries and three sixes during his impressive innings.

Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar said that life had come full circle for Sanju Samson, who went from being on the fringes of the team to becoming the player of the tournament with three crucial performances in India’s knockout matches during their memorable ICC Men's T20 World Cup campaign.

Samson produced explosive innings in the final three games of the tournament, including the semifinal against the England cricket team and the final against the New Zealand national cricket team.

Gavaskar explained that before the 2026 T20 World Cup, Samson had endured a poor series against New Zealand and was dropped from the team. After the tournament began, he was given an opportunity against the Namibia national cricket team, but his performance there was not enough to secure his place in the side, he said.

He added that Samson next featured against the Zimbabwe national cricket team in the Super 8 stage, but his true comeback began with a crucial match against the West Indies cricket team, which effectively served as a virtual quarter-final.

Gavaskar noted that Samson played an impressive and controlled innings in that game and showed his immense talent. He further remarked that delivering such performances in a high-pressure quarter-final, followed by strong knocks in the semifinal against England and the final against New Zealand, was a remarkable achievement.