Sanju Samson finally silenced critics and the noise surrounding his place in the side. He repaid the faith shown by Gautam Gambhir, who backed him even when questions were raised over the wicketkeeper-batter’s selection. The Kerala-born batter has at last translated his immense talent into a meaningful contribution – an unbeaten 97 – for his country on the biggest stage of all as India beat the West Indies to enter the semi-final of the T20 World Cup. The defending champions will now face England in a third-straight semis at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.
With South Africa already through from Super 8 Group 1, and Zimbabwe eliminated, the India vs West Indies clash became a virtual quarter-final, with the winner set to progress to the semifinals. That raised the stakes for every boundary and every over – and West Indies, with a savage late surge, shaped the kind of total that not only chased qualification but attempted to control the manner of it.
Put into bat at Eden Gardens, West Indies finished 195/4, a score built in two acts. The first was measured, occasionally sticky. The second was pure violence, engineered by Jason Holder and Rovman Powell, who turned a competitive innings into a demanding chase.
West Indies comes with a brutal finish
India’s decision to bowl first briefly seemed vindicated. West Indies were progressing without accelerating, with Shai Hope’s 32 off 33 anchoring the innings and keeping India in the contest through the first half. When Varun Chakaravarthy removed Hope at 68 in the ninth over, India had the kind of breakthrough that could stall momentum before an innings truly explodes.
Roston Chase ensured the platform didn’t collapse. His 40 off 25 balls provided the first real acceleration, finding boundaries without over-hitting — until Jasprit Bumrah intervened. Bumrah’s spell was India’s best attempt to prevent the innings from turning into a 200-plus chase: he removed Shimron Hetmyer, whose 27 off 12 threatened to hijack the middle overs, and then dismissed Chase soon after. For a brief period, West Indies looked headed for a total closer to 175-185.
{{/usCountry}}Roston Chase ensured the platform didn’t collapse. His 40 off 25 balls provided the first real acceleration, finding boundaries without over-hitting — until Jasprit Bumrah intervened. Bumrah’s spell was India’s best attempt to prevent the innings from turning into a 200-plus chase: he removed Shimron Hetmyer, whose 27 off 12 threatened to hijack the middle overs, and then dismissed Chase soon after. For a brief period, West Indies looked headed for a total closer to 175-185.
{{/usCountry}}The hinge moment came in the 15th over, when Hardik Pandya dismissed Sherfane Rutherford, with Samson completing the catch. At 119 for 4, India could reasonably believe they had dragged the scoring curve back into a manageable band.
West Indies’ finishing pair had other ideas. Rovman Powell, clean in his hitting through the line, and Jason Holder, strong into the arc, rewrote the endgame. Powell’s 34* off 19 set the tempo; Holder’s 37* off 22 supplied the punch – the kind of innings that converts a defendable total into a suffocating one. The last five overs produced the surge West Indies have long been building toward, and 195 for 4 suddenly felt less like par-plus and more like a deliberate test of India’s nerves.
Jasprit Bumrah finished with 2 for 36, while Varun Chakaravarthy and Pandya took one each.
India’s chase carried by Sanju Samson
The chase was always going to be demanding in a high-stakes contest, and it became tougher when Abhishek Sharma fell for 10 off 11 in the third over. The pressure on India increased further when the in-form Ishan Kishan departed soon after. Amid the early setbacks, Samson remained unfazed, batting with composure and control while holding one end together.
Sanju Samson stitched a stabilising partnership with Suryakumar Yadav, before Tilak Varma carried the momentum forward to bring India closer to the target. After the two dismissals, India were left needing 55 runs from 32 balls.
Hardik Pandya then joined Samson and played the situation smartly, rotating strike and allowing Samson to continue his assault on the West Indies attack. A late twist ensued when Pandya fell with 17 required off 10 balls, but Shivam Dube eased the tension with two quick boundaries.
In the end, Samson sealed the contest himself, launching the first ball of the final over for six to finish the chase in style. He remained unbeaten on 97 off 50 deliveries, guiding India home. Notably, this is the highest score by an Indian batter in a chase in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, surpassing Virat Kohli’s previous best against Australia and Pakistan in earlier editions.