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NEW DELHI: Sanju Samson rode a slice of luck against Jofra Archer on his way to a second successive fifty, powering India to a mammoth 253 for seven in the T20 World Cup semifinal against England on Thursday.

After playing a key role in guiding India to the semifinals, a supremely confident Samson (89 off 42) tore into the England bowling attack including Archer, who had enjoyed the upper hand against the Indian opener during last year’s bilateral series.

Brook drop proves costly for England

Having lost the toss at a venue known for short boundaries, India needed a big total and Samson ensured that after being dropped by Harry Brook on 15 off Archer in the third over.

England had already removed Abhishek Sharma in the previous over and a Samson wicket at that stage would have put India under serious pressure. But Brook spilled a straightforward chance at mid-on, leaving Archer stunned.

That moment proved decisive as Samson made England pay heavily, smashing eight fours and seven sixes in a scintillating knock.

Samson dominates Archer and England attack

Dismissed three times by Archer last year when he struggled against the short ball aimed at his body, Samson looked far more assured this time and countered the England spearhead with a flurry of powerful pull shots.

He quickly adjusted to the length and was helped by Archer’s erratic lines, with the pacer bowling too short during his opening spell of two overs.

Samson’s first six off Archer came with a pull over fine leg before he launched a slower delivery from the pacer over deep mid-wicket for another maximum.

He also stitched a 97-run stand off just 45 balls with Ishan Kishan (39 off 19), who also found the boundary regularly against an inconsistent England bowling attack.

India surged to 67 for one in the powerplay and kept the momentum going to reach 119 for two at the halfway mark.

Late assault pushes India beyond 250

Shivam Dube (43 off 25) was promoted to number four to maintain the left right combination after Kishan was dismissed by Adil Rashid.

At the other end, Samson continued to attack with authority, taking on bowlers like Sam Curran and Jamie Overton.

When Archer returned for his second spell, Samson greeted him with more aggression. The opener hammered him for a six over backward point before launching another towering maximum over long-off.

Archer finished with expensive figures of 61 runs in four overs as Tilak Varma (21 off 7) compounded England’s misery with three sixes in the 19th over.

England turned to the off-spin of Will Jacks in the final over but Hardik Pandya (27 off 12) attacked him as well, smashing a couple of sixes.

The last five overs produced 76 runs as India powered their way to a formidable total.

(With PTI Inputs)