India, March 9 -- Mitchell Santner struck a gracious note after New Zealand's defeat to India in the T20 World Cup final, admitting his side had been second-best on the night while also underlining the scale of the challenge posed by both the opposition and the occasion. India defeated New Zealand in Ahmedabad to secure their third men's T20 World Cup title, becoming the first team to retain the trophy and the first host nation to lift it.

For Santner, the final was not the moment for excuses. It was instead an opportunity to acknowledge a team that had handled expectation, pressure and the sheer force of a home crowd better than anyone else in the tournament.

"Proud of the boys to make it this far. Obviously, we had some challenges thr...