Samson scored an unbeaten 97 as India set up a World Cup semi-final against England, reeling West Indies bowling in Kolkata.
Published on 1 March 2026
Sanju Samson produced one of the quietest innings under the pressure of the run chase to send India into the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup with a five-wicket victory over the West Indies in Kolkata.
Samson, who returned to the Indian playing XI in the previous match after being overlooked for the previous three matches, remained unbeaten on 97 as India cruised to an impressive win in front of a packed Eden Gardens crowd on Sunday.
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The wicketkeeper-batsman was the only Indian player to score more than 30 runs as the defending champions faced the Maroons in a winner-take-all Super Eight match.
In the process, he went past Virat Kohli’s 82 against Australia in 2016 and Pakistan in 2022 to record the highest score by an Indian in the T20 World Cup run chase.
The co-hosts now face England in the second semi-final in Mumbai on Thursday, while New Zealand and South Africa meet in the first last-four match in Kolkata on Wednesday.
Samson’s cool demeanor in front of a high target and an expectant home crowd after losing star batsman Abhishek Sharma in the third over laid the foundation for India’s chase.
The 31-year-old from South India then took control of the innings, hitting regular boundaries in his 50 balls. With the help of 12 fours and four sixes, Samson scored 97 runs without getting out.
He enjoyed brief support from India’s top and middle-order batsmen, with no one crossing the 20-run mark until Tilak Verma hit 27 off 15 balls in a 42-run partnership with Samson.
India captain Suryakumar Yadav (18) and Hardik Pandya (17) were the other contributors to the total which was sealed with two boundaries off Samson’s bat in the last over.
West Indies pacers Shamar Joseph and Jason Holder took two wickets each as their teammates struggled to control the flow of runs from Samson’s bat.
Earlier, a 68-run opening partnership between captain Shai Hope and Roston Chase gave West Indies a quick start to their innings.
Chase, who scored 40 off 25 balls, was the more aggressive of the two openers as he made the most of Abhishek Sharma’s dropped catch to take on Axar Patel and Jasprit Bumrah in the first six overs.
Hope was dismissed for 32 after a slow innings and replaced by in-form batsman Shimron Hetmeyer.
Bumrah was caught before the scorer scored 27 off 12 balls – the fifth leading run of the tournament.
India looked in control after reducing the West Indies to 119-4 in the 15th over, but a strong finish from Rovman Powell and Jason Holder took the 2012 and 2016 champions to 195.
Powell’s unbeaten 34 and Holder’s 37 off 22 balls looked to put the pre-tournament favorites under pressure in front of a packed Eden Gardens.
Bumrah was the pick of the Indian bowlers, claiming two crucial wickets in his four overs.
Pandya and Varun Chakraborty took the other two wickets for West Indies.
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