Kolkata: Sanju Samson silenced the doubts around him with a composed, unbeaten 97 as India chased down a stiff target to beat West Indies by five wickets in their T20 World Cup Super Eights clash at Eden Gardens on Sunday, sealing a semifinal meeting with England at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on March 5.
West Indies, asked to bat, built steadily through Roston Chase’s 40 off 25 balls and a 68-run opening stand with Shai Hope, who made 32 from 33 deliveries. After Jasprit Bumrah’s twin strikes in the 12th over briefly checked the momentum, Rovman Powell and Jason Holder transformed the innings. Their unbroken 76-run partnership off 35 balls lifted West Indies to 195 for 4, with Powell scoring 34 not out from 19 balls and Holder 37 not out from 22.
India’s chase wobbled early as Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan departed cheaply, and several starts went unfinished. In front of over 65,000 spectators, Samson anchored the reply, striking 12 fours and four sixes in his 50-ball knock. He shared key stands with Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma before finishing the chase with four balls to spare.
As “Maa Tujhe Salaam” rang around the ground, Samson dropped to his knees, a quiet prayer marking a night of relief as West Indies’ campaign ended at the venue of their 2016 triumph.