India seal semifinal berth, down West Indies by 5 wickets in T20
Kolkata: India booked their place in the semifinals of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup with a spirited five-wicket win over the West Indies cricket team, chasing down 196 with four balls to spare at a raucous Eden Gardens. It was a chase that wobbled early, steadied through calm middle-order batting, and was ultimately sealed by a commanding, match-winning knock from Sanju Samson.
The beginning offered little indication of the joy that would follow. India lost both openers — Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan — for 10 each inside the powerplay, slipping to 42 for 2 in 4.4 overs with the asking rate already climbing above ten an over.
It was the kind of start that could have derailed a must-win chase. Instead, Samson and captain Suryakumar Yadav rebuilt with assurance. Their stand was defined not by reckless hitting but by intelligent pacing. Samson kept the scoreboard moving with crisp boundaries — a sweep over backward square, a carved drive through point, a muscular pull over midwicket — while Suryakumar rotated strike and absorbed pressure. At the eight-over mark, India were 78 for 2, almost perfectly aligned with the required rate.
Samson’s fifty, studded with six fours and three sixes, came at a crucial juncture. Even then, India needed 98 from 60 balls, but the equation felt manageable.
Suryakumar’s measured 18 provided the platform before he fell attempting to accelerate, leaving India needing 96 from 56 balls and briefly handing momentum back to West Indies. Samson’s response was decisive. He lifted the tempo through the middle overs, finding gaps square of the wicket and straight down the ground with increasing authority.
Tilak Varma provided vital support with a brisk 27 off 15 balls, striking four boundaries and a six to ensure the required rate never spiralled out of reach. Between overs 12 and 15, India collected 48 runs, reducing the target to 60 off 36 deliveries.
Even as wickets fell at the other end, Samson remained composed. He moved into the eighties with a series of clinical strokes through the off side, and with Hardik Pandya chipping in a handy cameo, India entered the final three overs needing just 25 runs.
There was one final twist when Pandya fell for 17, but Samson finished the job in style — first heaving a six to level the scores and then driving the winning boundary over mid-on. His 87 off 49 balls, featuring 11 fours and three sixes, was the highest score by an Indian in a T20 World Cup chase and one of the finest innings of the tournament.
India’s campaign has gathered momentum at the right time, and this chase under pressure showcased both resilience and clarity of approach. From 42 for 2 to 196 for 5, the innings was a lesson in pacing, composure and calculated aggression.
On a night when the stakes were high and the margins fine, India found their rhythm — and in doing so, their path into the semifinals.
