India, March 9 -- India's T20 World Cup victory in Ahmedabad signed off with a match that asserted their dominance and their growing stature as the team to beat in the shortest format of the game. A crushing 96-run victory over New Zealand after the batting piled on 255/5 in the first innings was the final note in this script - but in the bigger picture, there was a lot more behind all of the small stories that constituted India's presence at this stage.

Ishan Kishan, back in from the cold right on the eve of the tournament thanks to his spectacular domestic form, was one of the many golden stories of perseverance and belief that defined India's players at this campaign. Sanju Samson, who won player of the tournament, was in the same boa...