Sanju Samson stood tall and played well in the clutch moments to help India beat West Indies in a thriller by 5 wickets with 4 balls to spare. Sanju Samson dazzled under the night sky of Eden Gardens, Kolkata. India put West Indies into bat first and were sloppy in the field as the West Indies put in an all-round performance led by Roston Chase’s 40 and finishing kicks from Rovman Powell and Jason Holder added 70 runs in last 30 balls to post 195/4 in 20 overs.
Chasing 196 for the win, India rode on a batting masterclass from keeper batter Sanju Samson as he scored an unbeaten 97 off 50 balls and carried his bat and others played around him like Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, and Shivam Dube playing small cameos to help India go through with the target. Captain Suryakumar Yadav also got some runs. Ishan Kishan fell early again. So, India went over the line by 5 wickets with 4 balls to spare and are through to the semi-finals.
All-Round Batting Display Powers West Indies to 195/4 in 20 overs
Put into bat first, captain Shai Hope and Roston Chase came out to bat for West Indies while Arshdeep Singh had ball in hand for India. The West Indies got off to a solid start as they turned it on after getting themselves in. Hope took it on and so did Chase but India did not do themselves any favour. There was a run out chance missed and then Abhishek dropped a sitter to give Chase a lifeline when batting on 14 and the score was 33 in 4.5 overs.
West Indies made 45/0 in 6 overs and got the base to explode later on in the innings. The opening duo continued and put on 68 for the first wicket before Hope fell for 32 off 33 balls with 3 fours and one six to his name to Varun Chakaravarthy. India needed the wicket and they got it finally. Shimron Hetmyer came out to bat and started his pyro techniques as well. Both Hetmyer and Chase started to build a partnership. West Indies reached 82/1 in 10 overs at the halfway stage of the innings.
The duo carried on beyond the 10 overs as Hetmyer started to look dangerous as well. The duo put on 34 runs off just 16 balls before Hetmyer the man in form fell for 27 off 12 balls with one four and two sixes to his name to that man again Jasprit Bumrah. Sherfane Rutherford came to the crease next. He got off the mark as well straightaway. Bumrah picked up 2 wickets in the over as he finally got Chase out for 40 off 25 balls with 5 fours and one six to his name. Rovman Powell came out to bat next.
The lapses in the field continued as Tilak Varma was inside the boundary line and the ball went over his head for the maximum. Rutherford was the batter. The duo of Powell and Rutherford added 16 runs for the 4th wicket before Rutherford fell for 14 off 9 balls with one six to his name to Hardik Pandya straight after the Drinks Break. Jason Holder came out to bat next.
Holder hit a straight six down the ground for the maximum as West Indies reached 125/4 in 15 overs as the middle phase ended with India clawing their way back in the match. But the next five overs were crucial and West Indies aced the phase. The big overs started to come as Arshdeep was smashed for 24 in an over to change the momentum of the game. West Indies never looked back and India never looked like taking a wicket as well.
Holder and Powell complimented each other well and even Bumrah was hit for runs as well. The Indians lost the plot but also held the nerve as well. The runs kept coming as the duo added 70 runs off 30 balls in the end and the partnership was worth 76 runs that brought West Indies back in the game. 14 runs off the final over as the West Indies ended with 195/4 in 20 overs with Powell unbeaten on 34 off 19 balls with 3 fours and 2 sixes to his name while Holder remained unbeaten on 37 off 22 balls with 2 fours and 3 sixes to his name. 11 extras given by the fielding side.
India had a mixed day in the field and with ball in hand. Jasprit Bumrah finished with 2/36 in 4 overs. Hardik Pandya finished with 1/40 in 4 overs. Varun Chakaravarthy finished with 1/40 in 4 overs. Arshdeep Singh went for 43 in 4 overs. Axar Patel finished with 0/35 in 4 overs. That meant India’s target was 196 runs to win off 20 overs.
Sanju Samson’s magical 97 helps India get over the line by 5 wickets with 4 balls to spare
Chasing a mammoth 196 for the win, Abhishek Sharma and keeper batter Sanju Samson came out to open for India while Akeal Hosein had ball in hand for West Indies. Sanju was quickly off the blocks while Abhishek Sharma looked tentative out there in the middle. India got off to a fast start as the openers put on 29 for the first wicket before Abhishek fell for 10 off 11 balls with 2 fours to his name to Akeal Hosein. Ishan Kishan came out to bat next.
Ishan showed great confidence out there and played a few shots as well. The duo maintained the tempo and added 12 runs for the second wicket before Ishan fell for 10 off 6 balls with 2 fours to his name to Jason Holder. Suryakumar Yadav came out to bat next. Captain Surya took time to get himself in. India at the end of the powerplay were 53/2 in 6 overs. The duo carried on in the middle phase with Sanju Samson carrying his bat through. The duo added 58 runs for the 3rd wicket before Surya fell for 18 off 16 balls with one four and one six to his name to Joseph.
Tilak Varma came out to bat next. He took his time initially and then took on the bowling to take the load away from Samson. He built another stand with Sanju and added 42 runs for the 4th wicket as Tilak played a blinder as well. Tilak finally fell for 27 off 15 balls with 4 fours and one six to his name to Jason Holder and he was pumped as well. Hardik Pandya came out to bat next.
Hardik and Samson got together and even here Samson was terrific to watch. Hardik also did his part as India had another solid partnership of 38 runs in quick time before Hardik fell for 17 off 14 balls with 2 fours to his name to Shamar Joseph. India were within touching distance of the victory as Shivam Dube joined in the party. Dube came and hit a couple of crucial boundaries to release the pressure off Samson.
With 7 needed off 6 balls, Samson hit a huge maximum over deep square leg and hit the winning boundary as well over mid-off as India got over the line with 5 wickets and 4 balls to spare. Sanju was unbeaten on 97 off 50 balls with 12 fours and 4 sixes to his name as he carried his bat. Shivam Dube was unbeaten on 8 off 4 balls with 2 fours to his name as India finished with 199/5 in 19.2 overs. 12 extras given by the fielding side.
West Indies bowled well in patches with Jason Holder picking up 2/38 in 4 overs. Shamar Joseph finished with 2/42 in 4 overs. Akeal Hosein finished with 1/22 in 2 overs. Matthew Forde finished with 0/22 in 3 overs. Gudakesh Motie finished with 0/18 in 2 overs. Romario Shepherd finished with 0/34 in 2.2 overs. So, India win the match by 5 wickets with 4 balls to spare. Sanju Samson for his marvellous unbeaten 97 was awarded the Player of the Match.
What Lies Ahead
So, we are all set for the semi-finals of ICC T20 World Cup 2026. It will be South Africa vs New Zealand live from Eden Gardens in Kolkata in Semi-final 1 on 4th March 2026 i.e. Wednesday. The second semi-final will feature India up against England in Mumbai on 5th March 2026 i.e. Thursday. So, it’s going to be exciting to see how the semis unfold from here.
Also Read:Â ICC T20 WC 2026: India In Commanding Position In Run Chase Against West Indies