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Sanju Samson’s unbeaten 97 powered India to a five-wicket win over West Indies at Eden Gardens, securing a T20 World Cup 2026 semi-final spot against England in Mumbai.
Suryakumar Yadav bows all the way down to Sanju Samson after his match-winning knock
Team India stormed into the T20 World Cup 2026 semi-final, riding on Sanju Samson’s record-breaking knock on Sunday in Kolkata. He batted most grandly, crafting a sublime unbeaten 97 to steer India into the subsequent round of the tournament with a five-wicket win over West Indies at a packed Eden Gardens.
Chasing 196, India wobbled early and watched several in-form batters fall after starts. Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan departed cheaply, while Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya couldn’t convert promising beginnings. Amid the uncertainty, Samson stood firm, mixing composure with calculated aggression in a masterful 50-ball knock studded with 12 fours and 4 sixes.
The Indian skipper heaped massive praise on Sanju, stating that the Kerala wicketkeeper-batter reaped the reward of his exertions.
“I all the time say, good things occur to good individuals who wait, who’ve a variety of patience. I said it just now as well after I met him. But then it’s all his exertions, what he’s been doing behind the doors when he was not playing, and he’s got the fruit of it at the proper stage,” Surya said on the post-match presentation.
“And the way in which he batted, took the side completely to the victory. I feel everyone bowled based on the plans,” he added.
Despite a shaky start, India pulled off a shocking win to remain alive in the continuing tournament. But Sanju held his nerves and delivered under pressure. Surya said he all the time expects his teammates to be courageous in such moments.
“I told the identical thing to the boys. Yes, there will likely be pressure, there will likely be expectations of a variety of people coming to the bottom, watching it back home. But at the identical time, when a game like this comes, you could have to be more courageous, you could have to bring your A-game, put the perfect foot forward, be positive, take a positive option wherever and every time under pressure. And I feel we were quite good at taking that,” he added.
Samson produced the defining blows: a towering six off Romario Shepherd to level scores, followed by a boundary to seal victory with 4 balls to spare. Dropping to his knees in relief as the gang roared, Samson accomplished a stirring redemption story, guiding India to a semifinal clash against England.
March 01, 2026, 23:58 IST
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