India has stormed into the semi-final of the 2026 T20 World Cup with a strong win over the West Indies, defeating the two-time champions in the final Super 8 match. This match will be remembered for the measured innings played by one Sanju Samson.
The India vs West Indies match was the last match of the Super 8 stage of the ongoing T20 World Cup. With three semi-finalists already confirmed, this match would determine the fourth. Before this game, both teams had defeated Zimbabwe and lost to South Africa in the Super 8 and desperately needed a win here.
The match, played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, saw the home side win the toss and decide to bat first, expecting dew in the second half.
India Beats West Indies In Virtual Quarter Final
The Windies got off to a fine start to their inning. The opening pair of Roston Chase and captain Shai Hope made 45 runs together in the powerplay. While the two did not accelerate too much, their 68-run partnership in about nine overs gave West Indies a solid base to build upon.
This opening was cashed in by an in-form Shimron Hetmyer, who scored 27 off 12. Sherfane Rutherford, who made only 14 runs today, scored those in just nine balls.
At the start of the 15th over, the West Indies were at 119/4 with two fresh batters on the crease. However, the pair of Rovman Powell and Jason Holder, who made 34 off 19 and 37 off 22, respectively, ensured that their team reached a formidable total of 195/4 in their allotted 20 overs.
While Eden Gardens is known for being a batting-friendly pitch, a target of nearly 200 in a must-win game is a big ask for any team.
In response, the Indian Cricket Team seemed to have gotten off to a brilliant start. Sanju Samson, who opened the innings with Abhishek Sharma, hit three boundaries in the third over, taking the score to 29 before the end of that over.
Then, before the third over ended, a struggling Abhishek Sharma got out for 10 off 11, bringing Ishan Kishan to the strike. Kishan scored a couple of boundaries too but also got out in the powerplay for 10 runs.
At this point, with Samson and an incoming captain, Suryakumar Yadav, on the pitch, Samson decided to avoid playing risky shots. Surya and Sanju took the team past the 10-over mark, keeping the run rate around 10 rpo.
Samson reached his half-century in the 10th over, and in the very next, Yadav was dismissed. From this point on, while he did get some decent support from the likes of Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya, Sanju Samson was the captain of the ship.
The Kerala wicketkeeper-batter might have played the best and most measured innings of his career, that too in a pressure situation. Tilak Varma made a handy 27 off 15, while Pandya scored 17 off 14, but it was Sanju who took the team home.
With seven runs needed in the last over, and Samson needing 13 runs to reach his century, the 31-year-old hit a six and a four to end the match four balls early as India won the match by five wickets.
For his heroic 97 off 50, Sanju Samson was named the Player of the Match. This was also the highest score by an Indian in a T20 World Cup match while chasing.
India will now face England in semi-final 2 of the 2026 T20 World Cup. This match will be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday, March 5.
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