India, March 8 -- An insanely talented and incredibly consistent Indian cricket team will carry the weight of a nation's hopes in its pursuit of history when it goes up against a tenacious New Zealand in a classic David versus Goliath final of the T20 World Cup here on Sunday.

On November 19, 2023, the expansive amphitheatre called the Narendra Modi Stadium witnessed a teary-eyed and emotionally spent Rohit Sharma drag himself up the dressing-room stairs after Australia had silenced India in the ODI World Cup final.

The distraught home side and a silent stadium, with 93,000 people, have carried the cross ever since, even though the T20 team somewhat made amends for that heartbreak by winning the 2024 world title under Rohit.

The shorte...