Skipper Suryakumar Yadav on Sunday said opening batter Sanju Samson finally reaped the rewards of his perseverance with a match-winning, unbeaten 97 against the West Indies, adding that India had earned their place in the T20 World Cup semifinals.

India defeated the West Indies by five wickets to set up a last-four clash with the England cricket team at the Wankhede Stadium on March 5.

“Obviously, it’s a great feeling. It was like a quarterfinal for us. The way the boys showed character was fantastic,” Suryakumar said after the match.

Praising Samson’s knock, he added: “I always say good things happen to good people who wait. He kept working hard even when he wasn’t in the playing XI, and today he has got the reward for that effort.”

Reflecting on India’s campaign, Suryakumar said the team deserved its semifinal berth but would shift focus quickly. “The way we have played from the first game, I think we deserve to be in Mumbai. But we won’t think too far ahead. We’ll take the flight, reach Mumbai and then plan. When there is no pressure, there is no pressure.”

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Chasing 196, India overhauled the target with 199/5 in 19.2 overs. Suryakumar said the plan was to take the game deep, especially with dew expected to make batting easier later in the innings.

“I felt everyone bowled according to the plans. We knew 200 is always a competitive total, but with the dew the ball comes nicely onto the bat. Our idea was to take it deep and finish strong.”

West Indies captain Shai Hope admitted his side fell slightly short.

“Maybe we were a few runs short, especially on a ground where chasing is favourable. We could have pushed harder at the end. Sanju played a really good innings, full credit to him. But a few extra runs could have made the difference,” Hope said.

He, however, praised his team’s adaptability throughout the tournament. “The way we adjusted to different conditions deserves credit. Our bowling in the powerplay was impressive. Akeal (Hosein) was very good, and (Gudakesh) Motie did well after coming back into the side.”

“It's disappointing to bow out at this stage. One more game and we could have been in the semifinals, and from there anything can happen. But we just couldn’t get over the line today,” he added.