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Sanju Samson played the innings of a lifetime, smashing an unbeaten 97 to guide India into the semifinals of ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026. In an all-important Super 8s clash at Eden Gardens on Sunday, India pulled off their highest-ever T20 World Cup chase to overcome a powerhouse West Indies by five wickets.
Chasing a daunting 196, India relied on Samson's calm head on a night when the in-form openers faltered under pressure. As the winning runs were hit, Samson sank to his knees in prayer. This win also sets up India’s massive semifinal clash against England at the Wankhede on March 5 in semifinal 2.
T20 World Cup 2026: Rovman Powell and Jason Holder surge late after Jasprit Bumrah’s middle-over brilliance
The West Indies followed a fearless attacking template, building their innings around a steady start from Roston Chase and Shai Hope. Chase, who survived two reprieves early on, scored a fluent 40 and shared a 68-run opening stand that put India on the back foot.
The vital breakthrough finally came via Varun Chakaravarthy, who dismissed Hope (32) to end the dangerous partnership. India then hit back harder when Jasprit Bumrah struck twice in the 12th over to remove both Chase and the dangerous Shimron Hetmyer.
The dismissal of Hetmyer was particularly significant, marking the sixth time Bumrah has dismissed him in T20 cricket, as the southpaw continues to struggle against the Indian spearhead, averaging just 2.83 in their head-to-head duels. Hetmyer had looked threatening during his breezy 12-ball 27, which included two towering sixes.
However, the momentum shifted back to the Windies as Sherfane Rutherford perished quickly, leaving them at 119/4 and bringing Rovman Powell and Jason Holder together. The duo combined for a blistering unbeaten 76-run partnership off just 35 balls, exploiting India’s decision to hold Bumrah back for the death.
Powell smashed 34* off 19 balls while Holder struck a 22-ball 37*, plundering runs at will in the final overs to reach a formidable 195/4. Despite Bumrah's 2/36, the Indian bowling unit looked vulnerable against the raw power of the Caribbean lower order during the closing stages.
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T20 World Cup 2026: Sanju Samson rebuilds through partnerships to anchor record chase
India's chase started poorly with Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan falling for 10 runs each, but Samson stood tall to rebuild the innings. He first stitched together a 58-run stand with skipper Suryakumar Yadav, absorbing the initial pressure before accelerating with precision.
When the captain fell for 18, slicing Shamar Joseph to deep point, the chase briefly drifted without a boundary, but the real momentum shift came in a 42-run partnership with Tilak Varma. Tilak broke the lull by hammering three successive boundaries off Joseph in a 17-run over that turned the game back in India's favour. Tilak eventually fell for a well-made 27 off 15 balls, bringing Hardik Pandya to the crease for a brief 38-run stand.
Throughout the chase, Samson remained the defining figure, finding boundaries whenever the asking rate climbed and reaching his fifty with a crisp cut off Gudakesh Motie. Even after Pandya departed in the final over, Samson brought the scores level by launching Romario Shepherd for a massive six over square leg. He eventually ensured that India remained the favourites, sealing the win with four balls to spare.
T20 World Cup 2026: Sanju Samson eclipses Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina to rewrite the history books
Samson’s unbeaten 97 is now officially the highest individual score by an Indian in a T20 World Cup run-chase, surpassing the legendary 82* by Virat Kohli against Australia (2016) and Pakistan (2022).
This historic knock also stands as the second-highest individual score for India in the history of the T20 World Cup, moving past Rohit Sharma’s 92 (2024) and trailing only Suresh Raina’s 101 against South Africa in 2010. During this innings, Samson also crossed the milestone of 100 career T20I fours, reaching a total of 102, while his overall T20 career runs surged to 8,222 across 328 matches.
It was his 52nd half-century in the shortest format and his 4th in T20 Internationals. Furthermore, his performance maintained India’s perfect 5-0 win-loss record against the West Indies at Eden Gardens, ensuring his name is forever linked with one of India's greatest nights in Kolkata.
