The Indian head coach, Gautam Gambhir, has been massively praised for the knock of their opening batter and wicket-keeper, Sanju Samson, who smashed a fine knock of unbeaten 97 runs during their chase of 196 runs in the Super 8 fixture of the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 against West Indies at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

Sanju Samson, who had a decent knock against Zimbabwe at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, continued the same approach and blasted the fine knock. When he reached his fifties, he took a new stance and restarted his knock.

See Also: Watch: 'Played to...'- Saurav Ganguly reacts to Sanju Samson's 97 in IND vs WI T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8

“Look, I actually thought that he never accelerated the innings. It was just a very, very normal cricketing shot, and I never saw any muscling the ball as well, and that is the kind of talent he has. When you know that you're in control of the game and you know that you're feeling good, he's hitting the ball really well in the nets, and it's about going in the middle and showcasing that skill that you had.” Gambhir said in the post-match press conference.

Sanju Samson receives praising words from Gautam Gambhir 

India have made their way to the semifinal and for the consecutive time will come against England at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on March 05. Samson hopes to carry the same form as Gambhir addressed.  

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"He delivered it for us." 🇮🇳

When @GautamGambhir & 1.4 billion Indians 𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐃, and Chetta repaid it with a performance that carried the #MenInBlue to the World Cup Semi-finals! 💙🙌

ICC Men’s #T20WorldCup Semi-Final 2 👉 #INDvENG | THU, 5 MAR, 5:30 PM pic.twitter.com/AyzqcmQMqF

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) March 2, 2026

“Yes people will keep a look at the score but then coming back into the team and then playing that kind of an innings of 23, 24, I thought that must have given him a lot of confidence because obviously the guy had a tough series against New Zealand, but we always knew the kind of potential he had, and most importantly, I thought the way he was batting in the nets was absolutely brilliant,” Gambhir informed.

“Three T20 hundreds is not many people have it. Sometimes, it’s important to give him a break because you want to get the guy out of the pressure situation. But we always knew that whenever we would need him, he would come and deliver it for us in the World Cup game.” India’s head coach revealed.

India is still celebrating the world-class knock of an unbeaten 97 runs at the opening position from their wicket-keeper batter, Sanju Samson, against the West Indies in the Super 8 fixture of the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, as they have now qualified for the semi-finals of the event.

The CAB (Cricket Association of Bengal) president, Sourav Ganguly, has reacted to the knock of Sanju Samson, as he reckoned that the Kerala batter, who was excellent for his knock of 12 boundaries and four sixes at a strike rate of 194 to the blue brigade in completing the chase by 199 runs by five wickets, should play consistently for India.

See Also: Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to return in ODIs as BCCI announces home schedule after IPL 2026

“Samson is a very good player. He should consistently play for India in the white ball. He is that sort of player; when he gets in, he will hurt the opposition. He played to the serious situation. England will be a stronger opposition than the West Indies. So the approach of Indian batsmen should be to play according to the conditions.” Ganguly expressed after the game.

Saurav Ganguly desires to see Saju Samson consistently for India

With the qualification of the semi-final, India will now lock horns with the England side on March 05 at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, where the Harry Brook-led side lost their previous group-stage clash against West Indies in the evening while chasing a decent score.

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#WATCH | Kolkata: On Sanju Samson's performance in yesterday's match in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, Former captain of the Indian cricket team Sourav Ganguly says, "He's a very good player. He should consistently play for India in the white ball... He is that sort of player; when… pic.twitter.com/Zlkz1lHhpi

— ANI (@ANI) March 2, 2026

Ganguly claimed that England would be a stronger opposition than the West Indies, as he suggested the Indian side take the right approach for the fixture according to the situation and the conditions. Meanwhile, Brook’s army has been in superb touch with three successive wins over Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and New Zealand.

In the last semifinal of the previous World Cup 2024, India faced the same opposition on the spin-friendly surface at Providence in Guyana and won the game after their spinners ran through the middle order of the England side, while the upcoming clash is expected to be the battle of their batters.

Sanju Samson has been the new talk of the town after his incredible knock of an unbeaten 97 runs at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata helped India complete the chase of 199 runs by five wickets against the West Indies during the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 as they qualified for the semifinal of the competition and will be up against England at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Sanju Samson was not guaranteed to be part of the playing eleven at the start of the campaign, having failed badly during the five-match home series against New Zealand. But it was India’s late game plan that saw the management bring Samson into the side, and he delivered at a stage when they needed him the most.

See Also: Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to return in ODIs as BCCI announces home schedule after IPL 2026

Meanwhile, a video has gone viral showing the 19-year-old Sanju Samson receiving a grand welcome at his college after he got the first contract in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The wicket-keeper batter, aged 31, played his first season of the league in 2013 for the Rajasthan Royals.

Sanju Samson’s grand welcome in college at 19 goes viral

Samson entered the college amidst a massive crowd who were holding the placards of the batter and cheered for him as he became one of the rare players to be part of the league at such a young age. The boys and girls were so happy to get inspired by Samson, who will now feature for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL 2026. 

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Samson played a fine knock of unbeaten 97 runs in 50 balls at a strike rate of 194 with the help of 12 boundaries and four sixes as the other players also made small contributions. Tilak Varma nailed a fine knock of 27 runs in 15 balls at a strike rate of 180.

“I think this is one of the greatest days of my life. (on the crowd support here) Yeah, definitely they do bring a lot of energy, and they do bring a lot of support. But I think on the other end, there is always a question, what if not?  definitely that keeps on playing in your mind.” Samson added.

During the squad selection of the Indian side for the T20 World Cup 2026, there were several questions whether the blue brigade and their selection committee should have gone with Sanju Samson, as that decision saw Shubman Gill not finding a place in the team. But in an evening when India needed him the most, Samson stood like a warrior. 

The Super 8 fixture against West Indies at the Eden Gardens was a virtual quarter-final for the blue brigade, who had to win the game to get their semifinals ticket. The chase of 196 runs could have been tricky had one of the batters not stayed at the crease for a long time, and Sanju Samson did so, and his decision to take a new guard after the fifty was a reflection of the same to happen.

See Also: Watch: Suryakumar Yadav plays Supla shot for six against Jason Holder during IND vs WI T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8s

After the end of the game, as the Indian players made their way into the field to shake hands with each other and the opponents, India’s captain, Suryakumar Yadav, bowed down to Samson’s extra-ordinary knock.

Suryakumar Yadav bows to Sanju Samson after IND vs WI T20 World Cup 2026 clash

Samson remained unbeaten on 97 runs in their victory by five wickets. The right-handed batter smashed 12 boundaries and four sixes at a strike rate of 194, while the other batters, especially Tilak Varma contributed a superb knock towards the end of the game. The southpaw clubbed 27 runs in just 15 balls.

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“I always say, good things happen to good people who wait, who have a lot of patience. I said it just now as well when I met him. But then it's all his hard work, what he's been doing behind the doors when he was not playing, and he's got the fruit of it at the perfect stage.” Sky expressed on Samson in the post-match presentation.

West Indies earlier posted the score of 195/4, thanks to small contributions from their entire batting line-up. Even though they added 70 runs in the last five overs of the game, there were runs left in the middle from their side.

Brief Scores: IND 199/4 (Sanju Samson 97*, Jason Holder 2/38) beat WI 195/4 (Roston Chase 40, Jasprit Bumrah 2/36) by five-wickets.

There was anticipation of a special knock from an Indian batter in their virtual quarter-final of the T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 fixture against the West Indies at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. But very few perhaps expected the knock to come from the bat of Sanju Samson, whose position in the eleven or even in the squad was not locked for a long time. 

But in an evening when India needed him the most, Sanju Samson stood like a rock. He gave a glimpse of his strong shots around the park during their previous clash against Zimbabwe at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, but his knock against WI was an updated version of that as he didn’t lose shape of his shots at any point in time.

See Also: Watch: Shimron Hetmyer’s brilliant catch dismisses Tilak Varma in IND vs WI T20 World Cup 2026 clash

On the first delivery of the last over against Romario Shepherd, Samson stayed deep in his crease and flicked the ball from the leg stump to clear the mid-wicket region for a massive six to tie the score and bring a smile to the Indian camp. He finished it off in style with a lovely boundary down the ground.

Sanju Samson carries India to T20 World Cup 2026 semfiinal 

Samson finished with a fine unbeaten knock of 97 runs in 50 balls with the help of 12 boundaries and four sixes at a strike rate of 194. This helped the Blue Brigade to complete the chase of 199 runs by five wickets against the West Indies’ 195/4.

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— Ritish Gotam (@gotam_ritish) March 1, 2026

“It means the whole world, actually, to me. I think right from the day I started playing, started dreaming to play for the country, I think this is the day I was waiting for. And I’ve always had a very special journey with lots of ups and downs.” Samson added in the post-match presentation.

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Samson’s 97* becomes the second-highest individual score for India in the T20 WCs as India completed their highest successful chase in the T20 WCs, while it was the third-highest ever chase in the history of the event.

Brief Scores: IND 199/4 (Sanju Samson 97*, Jason Holder 2/38) beat WI 195/4 (Roston Chase 40, Jasprit Bumrah 2/36) by five-wickets.

In their very first game of the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 against Scotland at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Shimron Hetmyer grabbed an excellent catch at the boundary rope, and after four weeks, at the same ground, during their virtual quarter-final against India in the Super 8 stage of the event, he grabbed another stunner to keep them alive.

On the fourth delivery of the 15th over, Jason Holder sent back an aggressive-looking Tilak Varma for 27 runs in 15 balls, after the latter smacked four boundaries and one six. But the credit for the dismissal should go to Shimron Hetmyer, who grabbed a special catch at the boundary rope to achieve success.

See Also: Watch: Suryakumar Yadav plays Supla shot for six against Jason Holder during IND vs WI T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8s

Varma came down the track and made room outside the leg stump as the bowler followed him with a full delivery. The batter lofted it, but failed to clear the mid-off fielder as Hetmyer backtracked at the right moment and jumped to grab the ball. That was the fingertip job from the fielder as he used all of his height to get there to complete the tremendous catch.

Shimron Hetmyer’s catch in IND vs WI T20 WC 2026 clash goes viral

Earlier in the game, the West Indies posted a strong score of 195 runs for the loss of four wickets in their allotted 20 overs as their lower order contributed massively. Their two former captain, Jason Holder and Rovman Powell, smashed two fiery knocks of unbeaten 37 and 34 runs respectively.

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Meanwhile, India didn’t get a great start with the bat in the chase, losing in-form Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan early in the second innings, but Sanju Samson held his nerve and stood at one end to complete the chase. He remained unbeaten on 97 runs in 50 balls, with the help of 12 fours and four sixes.

West Indies, with the five-wicket defeat, has been knocked out of the event as India will take their flight to the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai for the semifinal clash against England, who have been in great touch of late.

Brief Scores: IND 199/4 (Sanju Samson 97*, Jason Holder 2/38) beat WI 195/4 (Roston Chase 40, Jasprit Bumrah 2/36) by five-wickets. 

India didn’t need a massive and aggressive start to go for the chase of 196 runs to win the virtual quarter-final in the Super 8 fixture of the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata against West Indies as they didn’t want to make the same mistake of the Super 8 clash against South Africa at the Narendra Modi Stadium earlier. 

But after losing Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma, the two inform left-handed batters in the chase, there was a need for one of the batters to play a big shot at least once in every single over of the encounter. And Suryakumar Yadav lit up the stage with a fine Supla shot against Jason Holder.

See Also: Watch: Rovman Powell smashes Arshdeep Singh for 98-meter six in IND vs WI T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8s

On the fourth delivery of the chase, Holder went for a length delivery outside the off stump of the batter as Sky shuffled across and heaved it over the deep backward square-leg region for a massive six as the ball sailed over the boundary line. The key to the shot was to get inside the line and put it away for a 74-meter six.

Suryakumar Yadav’s Supla shot in IND vs WI T20 WC 2026 goes viral

Earlier in the game, the West Indies went with their old carnage of small contributions to form a mountain before them. Apart from their captain, Shai Hope’s knock of 32 runs in 33 balls, everyone added vital runs to the board. Roston Chase smashed 40 runs in 25 balls, while the biggest contribution came from the unbeaten fifth-wicket stand.

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Up and over! 🙌

Suryakumar Yadav charges on with intent and clears the fence with ease! 👏

ICC Men’s #T20WorldCup, SUPER 8, #INDvWI | LIVE NOW ➡️ https://t.co/Y26WH6p8dS pic.twitter.com/vqx5GuCfVn

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) March 1, 2026

Rovman Powell and Jason Holder added 70 runs in the last five overs of the innings. The former remained undefeated on 34 runs in 19 balls, scoring three boundaries and two sixes, while Holder drilled 37 runs in 22 balls with the help of 168.18.

Meanwhile, for India, Samson brightened up the chase with a fine knock at a strike rate of nearly 200 as he celebrated his fifty in 26 balls and carried India to a strong and safe position.

Brief Scores: WI 195/4 (Roston Chase 40, Jason Holder 37, Jasprit Bumrah 2/36) vs India 100/3 (Sanju Samson 55, Shamar Joseph 1/2) 

After losing both Shimron Hetmyer and Roston Chase in one over during the Super 8 clash of the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 between India and West Indies at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, the West Indies needed a big over to get the momentum in their favor as the pressure mounted on the tourists with a few dry overs before Rovman Powell broke the jail.

During the 16th over of the innings, Suryakumar Yadav decided to bring back Arshdeep Singh into the attack as Rovman Powell smashed the fourth delivery of the over for a 98-meter six. It was the biggest six of the evening so far, as he swiveled and smoked the length delivery that came with the angle into the middle and leg stump.

See Also: Watch: Suryakumar Yadav's superb air-borne catch dismisses Roston Chase in IND vs WI T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8s

After one ball, Powell clubbed another massive shot against the left-arm pacer. It was another poor delivery from Arshdeep as he put a full delivery on the middle and leg stump before Powell played the whippy flick shot as the ball sailed over the rope for a 69-meter six as it crossed the boundary rope.

Rovman Powell smashes 98-m six in IND vs WI T20 WC 2026

Earlier in the game, West Indies went off to a decent start thanks to their 68-run opening stand with their new opener, Roston Chase, smashing 40 runs in 25 balls with the help of five boundaries and two sixes, while their captain, Shai Hope, struggled for 32 runs in 33 balls.

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But the change of momentum came from the fifth wicket stand between Jason Holder and Powell, who collected 57 runs in just 25 balls and took on the two premier pacers of the Indian side, Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep, as the Indian camp looked a bit concerned.

Axar Patel bowled well for his 0/35 in four overs, while Jasprit Bumrah gave away 23 runs for two wickets in his three overs at an economy rate of 7.7. But the West Indies had the power to cross the 200-run mark easily.

Brief Scores: WI 195/4 (Roston Chase 40, Jason Holder 37*, Jasprit Bumrah 2/36) vs India. 

India didn’t field well at the start of the T20 World Cup 2026 for their Super 8 fixture against West Indies, which was a virtual quarter-final at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Abhishek Sharma dropped the vital catch of Roston Chase while Varun Chakravarthy failed to break the opening pair of Chase and Shai Hope. 

However, the table turned as Jasprit Bumrah sent back both inform Shimron Hetmyer and Chase in his second over of the innings, while the Indian captain, Suryakumar Yadav, grabbed an acrobatic air-borne catch to dismiss the latter. On the fifth delivery of the 12th over, Chase looked to dab the ball on the off-side for a single. 

See Also: Watch: Varun Chakravarthy dismisses Shai Hope for 32 in IND vs WI T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8s

However, he didn’t realize the variation from the right-arm pacer. He was stuck into the shot early by this lovely slower delivery from Bumrah and checked his defense as the ball lobbed in the air where Suryakumar Yadav, fielding at the cover-region, jumped to grab a fine catch to dismiss the right-handed batter for 40 runs in 25 balls, with the help of five boundaries and one six. 

Suryakumar Yadav's stunning catch from T20 WC 2026 goes viral 

It was a great catch for two reasons- one of those being how he managed to keep it in his hand despite falling on the ground. He stretched the full length dive and used both hands to grab the catch as the entire crowd roared to cheer for their side.

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Two balls ago, Bumrah dismissed Hetmyer for 27 runs in 12 balls. The southpaw looked in an aggressive mode as he was nailing the spinners into the leg side, following his trend of the campaign. But Bumrah used the fast ball to skid the left-handed batter and got the outside edge into the hands of the wicket-keeper, Sanju Samson.

After a strong start of 68 runs in 8.4 overs and a firepower in their middle overs, the West Indies seemed to fall a little as Bumrah held a magical figure of 2/11 in his two overs.

Brief Scores: WI 149/4 (Roston Chase 40, Jasprit Bumrah 2/11) vs India 

India were not clinical in their fielding performance during the Super 8 clash of the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata against West Indies, which was nearly a virtual quarter-final for both sides, as the winner would qualify for the semifinal of the event and face England at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai three evenings later. 

West Indies decided to form a new opening pair of captain Shai Hope and Roston Chase. The latter didn’t start well but got momentum with a flurry of boundaries. On the other hand, the issue was with Hope’s timing, who continued to struggle against his negative match-up with the left-arm spinner, Axar Patel. And finally, as many expected, Varun Chakravarthy came to draw the first blood.

See Also: Watch: Ryan Burl's breathtaking catch dismisses Ryan Rickelton during ZIM vs SA T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8s

On the fifth delivery of the ninth over, Varun broke the stumps to send back Hope for 32 balls. It was always important for the Indian side to see their leg spinner coming back in form after being smashed for expensive economy in the previous two clashes.

Varun Chakravarthy sends back Shai Hope in T20 WC 2026 Super 8s 

On the fifth ball, Hope stayed on the leg side to access the off side. The ball skidded off the pitch and came in with the angle before sneaking under the bat to hit the middle of the middle stump and sent back the batter. India finally opened their account after a few missed chances of run-out and dropped catches.

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Varun strikes, and Eden Gardens erupts! 🌪️

The bowling change does the trick for #TeamIndia as skipper Shai Hope walks back! ☝️

ICC Men’s #T20WorldCup, SUPER 8, #INDvWI | LIVE NOW ➡️ https://t.co/Y26WH6p8dS pic.twitter.com/rPIjxyNNaS

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) March 1, 2026

Hope returned to the pavilion for a struggling knock of 32 runs in 33 balls with the help of three boundaries and one six. Chase has been good from the other end with unbeaten 38 runs in 22 balls with the help of five boundaries and one six as Shimron Hetmyer made his way into the middle.

Jasprit Bumrah had bowled one over of the innings and gave away seven runs, including the dropped catch in his over. Meanwhile, Arshdeep Singh bowled two good overs in the powerplay for 0/13 in two overs.

Brief Scores: WI 102/2 (Roston Chase 40*, Jasprit Bumrah 1/10) vs India.