Kamal Ghorui
India has taken over New Zealand at ICC Men’s T20 World Cup on March 8 at Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad. While the match itself kept fans on their toes, the closing ceremony also drew massive attention—especially with global pop star Ricky Martin performing live.Ricky headlined the closing ceremony alongside Indian music stars Falguni Pathak and Sukhbir Singh. A video shared on the official International Cricket Council account on Instagram shows Ricky enjoying himself with fans inside the stadium, dancing energetically to Sukhbir’s hit track “Oh Ho Ho Ho.” Dressed in a white T-shirt, the singer was seen jumping and vibing to the beats while fans around him joined the fun.The clip quickly caught the attention of viewers online. Reacting to it, Sukhbir himself wrote in the comments, “ale ale ale meets oho ho ho!” Fans also chimed in with excitement, with one writing, “This is such a vibe.” Another commented, “Kya baat! A global banger!”At the ceremony, Sukhbir opened the musical segment with his popular number “Oh Ho Ho Ho,” which instantly got the crowd dancing. After his set, Ricky Martin took the stage and performed several of his well-known songs. Speaking about the experience, Sukhbir told Asian News International, “I am very excited as I have never performed for a cricket audience. This performance will be very special…”
On the cricket field, India delivered an explosive batting display. After a steady start of just over 30 runs in the first four overs, Shivam Dube turned the momentum with a 24-run over, helping the team reach 255/5—one of the highest totals in T20 World Cup history. The innings had slowed briefly when India went 16 balls without a boundary, before Tilak Varma struck a four and Hardik Pandya followed with a six to regain momentum. However, New Zealand soon struck back with Pandya’s dismissal.The decision by the team management to persist with Abhishek Sharma as opener also paid off. Sharma delivered an impressive 18-ball half-century in the final. Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar praised the performance on X, writing, “Not the easiest tournament for Abhishek Sharma, but the team showed belief in his ability. He has repaid that faith with a crucial knock in the final. Well played!”Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan also applauded the innings, posting, “Always always back your proven player on the big occasion. Team India did that to Abhishek sharma n he didn’t disappoint on this big occasion..”Abhishek’s knock also became the fastest half-century of this year’s T20 World Cup. Meanwhile, Sanju Samson contributed another strong performance, scoring 89 off 46 balls with five fours and eight sixes before being dismissed.
