'Virtually unbeatable': Former England captain reveals the secret behind India’s white-ball dominance

Former England captain Michael Atherton has declared India national cricket team the leading force in limited-overs cricket, saying their recent dominance puts them in a strong position to potentially hold all three ICC white-ball trophies at the same time.

India reinforced their status by defeating New Zealand national cricket team by 96 runs in the final of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup on Sunday. The victory secured a record third title for India and also made them the first side to successfully defend the T20 World Cup. It was also the first time a team had lifted the trophy on home soil.




Speaking on Sky Sports Cricket, Atherton said India’s excellence extends beyond the T20 format and reflects their broader dominance in white-ball cricket.

"India are more than a pre-eminent T20 side. They are the pre-eminent white-ball side at the moment," Atherton said.

He pointed to India’s remarkable record across recent ICC tournaments to underline the point.

"In the last few ICC global events, before today, they have won 30 out of 32 games. They have only been beaten in the final of the 50-over World Cup here by Australia, and that game by South Africa earlier in this tournament.

"Across the board in white-ball cricket, they are the pre-eminent side. They were the strongest side here and deserve their victory," he added.

India’s run of dominance in ICC limited-overs competitions began during the 2023 Cricket World Cup, where they won every match before losing the final to Australia national cricket team. The team then went through the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup unbeaten and followed it with another perfect campaign in the ICC Champions Trophy in 2025.

Their only setback in the latest T20 World Cup came against South Africa national cricket team during the Super Eight stage.

With another Cricket World Cup scheduled for next year, Atherton believes India now have a realistic chance of holding every ICC limited-overs trophy simultaneously.

"They may well mop it all up, there is a 50-over World Cup next year, and they have the chance now to hold the Champions Trophy, T20 World Cup, and the 50-over World Cup all in one go, and that will surely be their aim," Atherton said.

Another former England skipper, Nasser Hussain, believes India’s consistent success comes from a simple but highly effective formula. According to him, a batting order packed with aggressive power-hitters combined with the brilliance of pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah makes the team extremely difficult to beat.

"India's formula is pretty simple.

"A batting lineup full of powerful hitters that will get you an above par score and a bowler in Bumrah, who makes a below par score probably enough. He's an absolute genius, and when you combine those two elements, they're virtually unbeatable," he added.