Steve Harmison Says India Weren’t Best Team at T20 World Cup 2026

Former England pacer Steve Harmison claimed South Africa were the best team in the T20 World Cup 2026, saying India won the title only by delivering in important moments.

India won their third T20 World Cup title after defeating New Zealand by 96 runs in the final on March 8. The match took place at the Narendra Modi Stadium. India also became the first team to defend the T20 World Cup trophy and win the tournament at home.

Former England fast bowler Steve Harmison shared a different view about the tournament. He said South Africa performed better overall during the competition. India lost only 1 match in the tournament, which came against South Africa in the Super Eight stage. Harmison noted that India won only by delivering in important moments.

“The Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson partnership largely won the final for India. Bumrah was the difference in the overall tournament on flat tracks. I don’t think India were the best team in this tournament. South Africa were the best team. India were the best moment team. They won the best moments,” said Harmson while speaking on the talkSPORT YouTube channel.

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“I don’t think they were that convincing in the group stages. After that, they won the moments. They had trouble against the West Indies in a quarter-final. India found a way to win when not playing well because of their big-moment players. But South Africa were the more consistent team in the tournament, apart from that one game where Finn Allen just had a day out. Handling pressure in big moments and delivering, India did it better than anyone else,” he added.

In the tournament, South Africa entered the semifinal as a strong contender but lost to New Zealand by 9 wickets at Eden Gardens. India defeated England in a close semifinal before dominating the final. In the final, Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan scored half-centuries to help India reach 255 for 5. New Zealand faltered in the chase, handing India the win.