In the T20 World Cup 2026 match against the West Indies, Team India emerged victorious by five wickets at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
During the match, Team India`s wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson delivered a match-winning knock of an unbeaten 97 runs off just 50 deliveries. His knock was laced with 12 boundaries and four maximums.
Speaking about his knock, former cricketer Ravi Shastri heaped praise by saying it was a special knock from the right-handed batsman.
“It is Sanju`s special Samson today, and that innings was special, because just his calmness, his composure, and just the sublime touch right through that innings,” he said.
He then said that Samson has made millions of people happy after delivering a stupendous knock in the all-important clash of the ongoing marquee event.
“This was not a league game. This was a knockout contest. People`s expectations of Samson have been huge right through his career. No one has questioned his talent, but they have been disappointed with his consistency. He brought everything to the fore today and made millions around the globe happy,” said Shastri.
Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir was also nothing short of praise. He also labelled Samson as a world-class player.
“He is a world-class player. We all know how good a player Sanju is. I actually thought that he never accelerated the innings. It was just a very, very normal cricketing shots, and I never saw any muscling the ball as well, and that is the kind of talent he has,” said Gambhir.
T20 World Cup 2026, IND vs WI: Match summary
Following the victory, the “Men in Blue” have sealed their spot in the semi-final of the global showpiece. They will lock horns with England on March 5 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
In the match, West Indies posted 195/4 after opting to bat, powered by contributions from Roston Chase (40), Hope (32), Shimron Hetmyer (27), and an unbeaten 76-run partnership between Jason Holder (37*) and Rovman Powell (34*). India`s bowlers were led by Jasprit Bumrah, who returned figures of 2/36.
In reply, India overcame an early setback before a series of partnerships guided them home. Sanju Samson played a key role in the chase, stitching crucial stands with Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma, as India sealed a five-wicket victory to progress further in the tournament.
