Sanju Samson created history: broke Virat Kohli’s record, India reached semi-finals with his explosive innings of 97.

Kolkata: In the decisive match of Super-8 of ICC T20 World Cup 2026 played at the historic Eden Gardens on Sunday, the Indian team achieved the target of 196 runs against West Indies by losing 5 wickets in 19.2 overs. This match was like a virtual quarterfinal, where with the victory, Team India confirmed its place in the semi-finals.

Sanju Samson performed amazingly in this match. He scored 97 not out off 50 balls, which included 12 fours and 4 sixes. This explosive inning of his not only led the team to victory, but also broke a big record of Virat Kohli. Till now, the record of highest individual score for India in a successful chase in the T20 World Cup was in the name of Virat Kohli, who had scored unbeaten 82 runs against Australia in Mohali in 2016 and against Pakistan in Melbourne in 2022. Sanju’s 97* overtook this record, and now becomes India’s highest individual score in the T20 World Cup chase.

India were stuck at 41/2 at the start of the match, but Sanju stitched a 58-run partnership with captain Suryakumar Yadav and then took charge alone. His shots and excellent timing left the 67,000 spectators on their feet. Sanju has learned how to play chase from Kohli and Rohit Sharma and the result of that was this brilliant innings.

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Emotional celebration after victory goes viral

When Sanju ended the match by hitting the winning four (or six), he sat on the pitch, looked towards the sky and thanked God. The wave of relief and happiness was clearly visible on his face. This moment quickly went viral on social media, where fans are praising his emotion and hard work. Before the tournament, Sanju’s form was under question and he got a chance to play only two matches, but in this stressful match, he answered all the critics.

With this victory, India also avenged its defeat against West Indies in the semi-finals of the 2016 T20 World Cup. Now Team India will face England in the semi-finals on March 5 at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. This innings of Sanju not only created a record but also gave a new flight to India’s semi-final dream.