Watch: Axar Patel pulls Sanju Samson’s leg after 97 in IND vs WI T20 WC 2026 clash
Sanju Samson played an unbeaten innings of 97 runs against the West Indies and led Team India to victory, reaching the semi-finals.
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The ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 witnessed a sensational performance from Sanju Samson in India’s crucial Super 8 clash against the West Indies. With a semifinal berth on the line, Samson stepped up in commanding fashion and played a defining role in taking India to the next stage of the tournament. In front of a packed Eden Gardens crowd in Kolkata, Sanju played an outstanding knock. Blending composure with controlled aggression, he anchored the chase to perfection and finished the contest with a boundary.
India successfully chased down the challenging target of 196, securing a five-wicket victory, with Sanju Samson’s match-winning knock standing out as the highlight of the encounter. The Kerala player was adjudged Player of the Match for his brilliant knock. Everyone in the dressing room also praised Sanju. Now, a special video has gone viral, in which spin all-rounder Axar Patel can be seen teasing Samson regarding his debut.
See Also: T20 World Cup 2026: 3 key weaknesses India must fix before the semi-final against England
Following the match, a light-hearted moment unfolded inside the Indian team bus as Sanju Samson sat at his seat when Axar Patel approached him for a brief interaction. Axar began by asking, “How are you feeling?” before adding with a smile, “We play through dangers, don’t we?” Shortly after, captain Suryakumar Yadav joined them, standing behind Axar and becoming part of the cheerful exchange, which concluded with Axar teasing Samson by jokingly asking, “When was your debut?”
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Sanju Samson's knock helps India to book semi-final ticket
In the match, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and decided to bowl first. However, this did not initially give them a significant advantage, and the West Indies got off to a good start. After the powerplay, West Indies' innings faltered, but then runs came quickly in the final overs, helping the Caribbean team post a score of 195/4.
Chasing the target, India lost the wickets of Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan in the powerplay itself. In such a situation, Sanju Samson took charge from one end and scored quickly to maintain the required run rate. During this, he received good support from Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, and Hardik Pandya. In the end, Sanju hit a six and a four to secure the win for Team India in the final over. Thus, he remained unbeaten, scoring 97 runs off 50 balls, including 12 fours and four sixes.
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