Sanju Samson stood tall in India’s commanding victory over West Indies on Sunday, a result that sealed their passage into the T20 World Cup semi-finals. Opening the innings in a demanding 196-run chase, Samson blended composure with authority, anchoring the pursuit from one end and ensuring the required rate never spiralled out of control. Even as wickets fell around him, there was little sign of anxiety in the Indian camp, thanks largely to his calm presence at the crease during his unbeaten 97-run knock.
The equation tightened briefly in the penultimate over, with 17 needed from the final two. Shamar Joseph struck by removing Hardik Pandya with the second ball, momentarily shifting the momentum. Shivam Dube walked in and eased the tension with a boundary first up, then added another four later in the over to leave just seven required from the last six deliveries. From there, Samson finished in style, launching a six and then a four to complete a memorable chase.
India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah underlined the importance of small but decisive moments, explaining how Shivam Dube’s timely boundaries in the tense closing stages eased the pressure far more than the scorecard might suggest. While the spotlight eventually fell on the finishing blows, Bumrah pointed out that Dube’s two fours in the penultimate over ensured the equation never became unmanageable, preventing the chase from drifting into a nervy final-over scrap.
“You know, obviously, the two fours that Dube hit, it is in the cricketing books and stats, nobody will really appreciate that, but the people who really know cricket, the two fours really didn’t set the pressure on us because sometimes 8-9 runs in the last over, it can get tricky sometimes,” Bumrah told ICC after the match.
“We did not want to bowl too fast”: Jasprit Bumrah on his plans vs WI
Bumrah himself played a decisive hand in India’s victory, striking twice in the same over at a critical juncture to remove Shimron Hetmyer and Roston Chase. The double blow stalled the West Indies’ momentum and applied the brakes on their scoring for the next few overs, allowing India to regain control and keep the total below the 200-mark.
Reflecting on India’s bowling approach, Bumrah revealed that the plan was built around reading the surface quickly and resisting the temptation to rely purely on pace.
“The wicket was holding up so we wanted to use our variation, we did not want to bowl too fast because that was an easy option. Hit our back of length, use our change of pace, so we wanted to make run scoring as difficult as possible, and today was a good day where I got some wickets,” he said.
