WATCH: Sanju Samson becomes HERO of Eden as India march into semifinals with thrilling win over West Indies, beats Virat Kohli's MASSIVE record
Sanju Samson guides Team India into the T20 World Cup 2026 semifinal as defending champions hammer West Indies by five wickets in Super 8 game at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday.
Sanju Samson en route to scoring 97 not out vs West Indies in Super 8 match of T20 World Cup 2026 in Kolkata on Sunday. (Photo: PTI)
India vs West Indies T20 World Cup 2026: The age-old saying of 'cometh the hour, cometh the man' came true at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday night. In what was a virtual 'quarterfinal' for defending champions Team India, the hero of the hour was Sanju Samson the man who was sidelined for the first half of the tournament. Indians hammered West Indies by five wickets chasing a massive 196 runs to win in their Super 8 match of T20 World Cup 2026 and marched into the semifinal.
Team India will now take on England, in a repeat of 2022 and 2024 semifinal, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday (March 5). In the other semifinal, South Africa will take on New Zealand at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday (March 4). Samson went past former India captain Virat Kohli's 82 not out as the highest score by an Indian batter in a successful run chase in T20 World Cup history.
The 31-year-old Indian opener, who came into side in the last game at the expense of Rinku Singh, remained unbeaten on 97 off 50 balls with 4 sixes and 12 fours - his maiden fifty in T20 World Cup. Shivam Dube ended unbeaten on 8 as Indian won with four balls to spare. Indian have marched into the T20 World Cup semifinals for the third time in a row, since crashing out in the league stages in 2021.
As wickets tumbled around him, Abhishek Sharma for 10, Ishan Kishan for 10 and captain Suryakumar Yadav for 18, Samson batted like a 'monk' with fierce determination rarely seen in his T20I career. After a barren patch of 13 innings, the new Chennai Super Kings recruit bought up his 50 off 26 balls and marked out his guard once again and got back to finishing the job.
WATCH Sanju Samson's brilliant fifty against West Indies in T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 match HERE
Samson's fourth T20I fifty was studded with 3 sixes and six fours. The Kerala, who was traded to CSK from Rajasthan Royals for Rs 18 crore ahead of IPL 2026 season, also benefitted from the butter-fingered West Indies as left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie dropped him off his own bowling.
Samson got great support from Tilak Varma, who smashed a breezy 27 off 15 balls with 1 six and 4 fours. Tilak and Samson took 32 runs in 2 overs bowled by Shamar Joseph and Roston Chase's successive overs the 13th and 14th of the innings to turn the run-chase on his head.
Tilak was dismissed with 54 runs needed to win but Hardik Pandya guided the remaining chase in Samson's company. Even Pandya got a lifeline when he was dropped by Jason Holder at extra cover off Romario Shepherd while batting on 9. Hardik finally fell for 17, caught by Holder with 17 needed off 11 balls too little, too late.
It was India's highest-ever successful run chase in a T20 World Cup and it couldn't have come at a better time for the co-hosts.
Earlier, West Indies piled up an impressive 195 for 4 after being sent into bat. All-rounder Jason Holder smashed 37 off 22 balls with 3 sixes and 2 fours and Rovman Powell smashed 34 off 19 balls with 2 sixes and 3 fours in an unbeaten stand of 76 runs for the 5th wicket with their side in trouble at 119 for 4.
The big partnership came after Jasprit Bumrah's double blow to dismiss makeshift opener Roston Chase for 40 off 25 balls and in-form Shimron Hetmyer for 27 off 12 in the 12th over of the innings.
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