Sanju Samson (BCCI Photo)

NEW DELHI: Perpetually under scrutiny, Sanju Samson rose above the noise with a match-winning 97 not out as India defeated West Indies by five wickets in their T20 World Cup Super Eights clash to storm into the semifinals on Sunday.But beyond the runs and the result, it was a captain’s bow that defined the night at Eden Gardens.

India will now face England in the semifinal at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on March 5.As the winning boundary was struck and the noise reached fever pitch, Samson began his walk back to the pavilion. That’s when India skipper Suryakumar Yadav did something few captains do.Surya walked down from his position, removed his cap and bowed to Sanju in the middle of the ground before embracing him tightly. It was spontaneous, heartfelt and symbolic — a public acknowledgement of belief repaid.The packed Eden Gardens, with over 65,000 spectators, erupted. Teammates applauded. Fans roared. It was more than celebration; it was respect.Asked to bat first, West Indies followed a clear attacking blueprint. Roston Chase laid the foundation before Rovman Powell (34* off 19 balls) and Jason Holder (37* off 22 balls) launched a late assault to power them to 195/4.Chasing 196 in a virtual knockout, India needed composure. Instead, they lost early momentum as in-form batters faltered under pressure.That’s when Sanju stood tall.Playing only his third match of the tournament, the wicketkeeper-batter produced an innings of poise and authority — 97* off 50 balls, laced with 12 fours and four sixes. He batted deep, absorbed the pressure and ensured India reached 199/5 in 19.2 overs, sealing victory with four balls to spare.In the 19th over, with tension peaking, Sanju brought the scores level by heaving Romario Shepherd’s attempted yorker high over square leg for a towering six — a statement blow under pressure.Moments later, he carved the winning boundary over a leaping mid-on to book India’s semifinal berth and end West Indies’ campaign at the very venue where they had lifted their second and last T20 World Cup title in 2016.As “Maa Tujhe Salaam” echoed through Eden Gardens, Sanju dropped to his knees, removed his helmet and offered a quiet prayer — a moment of relief, gratitude and redemption. The BCCI top brass stood up in applause.And just behind that image stood Surya’s bow — a captain recognising a warrior who had delivered when it mattered most.On a night of pressure and expectation, it wasn’t just about a 97*. It was about faith, redemption and a skipper who wasn’t afraid to bow down to brilliance.

Taking responsibility for the West Indies’ elimination from the T20 World Cup, skipper Shai Hope said he should have batted faster at the top to post a more challenging target for India in their must-win Super Eight game here.

Defending champions India chased down a fairly stiff 196-run target to knock the former winners out of the tournament at the Eden Gardens here on Sunday.

The visitors appeared at least 20 runs short as Hope ate up 33 balls for his 32, striking at just over 96, including 17 dot balls that probably cost them heavily in a high-scoring contest.

“Yes, I’ll take the blame. I should have batted a lot faster — if that’s what you want me to say,” said Hope in the post-match media interaction without dodging any tough question, here on Sunday.

“When you’re leading, you want to put your hand up and set the tone at the top. It didn’t happen for me today. I just didn’t get going today,” he conceded.

“But in situations like this, when you’re struggling, everyone struggles. But I don’t think I was batting badly.”

India had the perfect plan to tighten the marauding Windies after Suryakumar Yadav opted to bowl. He went in with Arshdeep Singh, Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel in the powerplay and they did their job, keeping Hope quiet early.

It was then that mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, held back deliberately for the middle phase, bowled him with a delivery that skidded through to rattle the stumps.

Though opener Roston Chase’s acceleration and the late flourish from Rovman Powell and Jason Holder lifted West Indies to 195/4, the total felt under-par on a good Eden surface with dew aiding the chase.

Hope, however, said the shortfall of runs was not for lack of intent.

“It was a bit of both. I hit a few fielders and they bowled well. As much as you’d love to hit every ball for six, it doesn’t happen. It’s just that I was hitting the fielders and then trying to play the situation a bit more.

“Obviously, I wanted to bat a little bit deeper into the innings and face most of the spin threat in the middle,” he explained.

Hope further admitted that the powerplay phase could have been better utilised by his team.

“We wanted 65-70 in the powerplay. We were 45 without loss, so we had a platform. With the batting depth we have, I didn’t see it as a big issue at the time, but we didn’t execute as well as we wanted.”

Fine margins

Calling it a fine-margin contest, he said: “It’s always a game of small margins. There are so many moments you can look back at and say maybe we should have done a little more or a little less of something else. But one team has to win.”

He further said the conditions aided the chasing side and rued lost toss.

“Here in Eden Gardens, chasing is usually better, especially with the dew. It always becomes a factor. I don’t think I could win a toss, so I’m always giving the guys the hard way out of it.

“I don’t think – I won a toss this tournament? One? Okay. Probably before that, the rest of the series, maybe one or two. Yeah, so that always putting me on the back foot.” However, looking at the broader picture, Hope chose to focus on the campaign’s positives.

“There are a lot of positives. Our bowling was much better than in previous series. The powerplay bowling especially stood up,” he noted.

Sanju deserves A+

Hope was effusive in praising India’s match-winner Sanju, whose unbeaten 97 anchored the home team’s chase. Having faced criticism and frequent exclusion in recent past, Sanju made the opportunity count in the biggest game.

A natural opener, he was not the first choice of the side at the start of the tournament after Ishan Kishan’s blazing return. Ishan was the preferred one with Abhishek Sharma in the opening position.

But following India’s batting meltdown against South Africa, the management had to fall back on his experience at the top.

He repaid that faith with a blazing start against Zimbabwe and then produced the innings of his life at the Eden.

“He shot the ball very nicely from the beginning all the way through to the end of the innings and he’s paced it really nicely. He was very smart and calculated with the way he went about his strokes.

“You must give him an A-plus with the way he played today. But we wish he didn’t have that innings today,” Hope said.

Published – March 02, 2026 12:46 pm IST

Sanju Samson plays a shot during the T20 World Cup Super 8 match against West Indies. (ANI Photo)

KOLKATA: Sanju Samson has warmed the India benches more often than he would have liked in his decade-long international T20 career. The India opener’s talent has never been in doubt, just that he hasn’t always utilised the opportunities that have come his way.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!On Sunday at the Eden Gardens, another such opportunity landed in the 31-year-old’s path and this time, he wasn’t found wanting. Samson’s commanding unbeaten 97 (50b, 12×4, 4×6) formed the backbone of India’s five-wicket win over the West Indies, and the ride taking his team into the ongoing T20 World Cup semifinals.

England are up next for Suryakumar Yadav’s men, the final two steps that remain in their climb towards a historic title defence.It was quite apt that Samson sealed it with a punch over mid-on.A target of 196 may seem daunting on the face of it, but when the chase is on a flat track and driven by batters who are capable of delivering, it doesn’t seem all that challenging. That India made it look a little turbulent was primarily because Samson was waging a lone battle for most of the innings. A 58-run stand with Surya (18) had Samson as the dominant partner. The 42 he added with Tilak Varma (27, 15b, 4×4, 1×6) was more on equal terms. Similar with Hardik Pandya (17) who survived a sitter.The constant in all these partnerships was Samson, who displayed his array of shots, packing enough punch behind them. This innings is surely among the most memorable that Samson has played, if not the defining one.Earlier, the West Indies once more showed their tendency of falling apart when things seem to be going perfectly for them. Yet, the discovery of this tournament is that they also have the batting depth to fight back. Jason Holder and Rovman Powell produced that fightback when the West Indies innings was in trouble.Opening with Shai Hope and Roston Chase, they were off to a reasonable start, if not a flier.A powerplay of 45 without any loss looked to be the kind of platform they could build on, of course with a little help from Abhishek Sharma, who dropped a simple chance from Chase off Bumrah when the batter was on 14. Losing Hope, who wasn’t as fluent as Chase, in the ninth over at the score of 68 meant West Indies still held the upper hand.Hope’s 32 off 33 balls would be disappointing for an opener who had the advantage of powerplay. Chase was a lot more aggressive for his 40 and Shimron Hetmyer kind of made up for the lost ground with a rocking 12-ball 27. However, his innings proved to be just a cameo, being dismissed to the faintest of an edge.That was in Bumrah’s second over and the innings’ 12th. He accounted for Chase in the same over and suddenly the West Indies innings seemed to be falling apart. It was then that Holder and Powell came together to script a recovery. Their unbeaten fifth-wicket stand of 76 came in just 35 balls. Holder (37*, 22b, 2×4, 3×6), an asset to have in the lower order, continued from he had left against South Africa. Powell (34*, 19b, 3×4, 2×6) showed once again that his calm demeanour masks a fiery batter within.The duo, struck at the India bowlers, the best of them, Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy, going for 36 and 40 respectively.

KOLKATA: It’s a straightforward knockout contest now and number crunching over net run-rate is no longer required. India just have to beat West Indies at the Eden Gardens here on Sunday to make the semifinals of the T20 World Cup. The West Indies are in the same position but punters would advise you to put your money on India. Yet, fingers will remain crossed.The statisticians might still be called upon for calculations in the unlikely scenario of Zimbabwe beating South Africa, but that will only be to decide the group toppers. South Africa are well ahead in that race too. India’s blip against South Africa was a timely reminder that Suryakumar Yadav and his men have to be on their toes all the time. South Africa in fact, also showed that the West Indies, in spite of their recent successes, continue to have a streak of inconsistency that makes them so unpredictable. This Caribbean tendency will also keep India on the alert. One false step can make a huge difference.

Abhishek Sharma’s return to form against Zimbabwe was good news for India, even though the opener wasn’t as free flowing as he normally is. The occasional caution during his half-century indicated that doubts might have crept into his mind following a string of poor scores. Even Tilak Varma would have overcome some uncertainties during his 16-ball 44 against the same opponents. Both will be aware that the West Indies will pose stiffer challenges.

Given Varma’s struggles against spin, facing the likes of Roston Chase, Gudakesh Motie and Akeal Hosein can be tricky. India might continue with the leftright opening combination of Abhishek and Sanju Samson, even though the latter didn’t really utilise the opportunity against Zimbabwe to the full. This combination does help in throwing the rival bowlers off their line.Talking about bowlers, Jaspreet Bumrah will once again be the pacer to watch. As soon as he steps on the Eden turf, he will be reminded of his 5 for 27 in the South Africa Test here last Oct. Despite the dryness of the pitch, Bumrah’s spell could well be a deciding factor. Bumrah has been very economical in the tournament so far, giving away just 90 runs in five matches. His accuracy has been one of India’s biggest advantages.

Of course, the West Indies have batters who can prove to be troublesome for India. Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope and Sherfane Rutherford would need a little time to settle and can turn out to be threats. Skipper Hope is quite uncharacteristic as a Caribbean batter. His shots are much more orthodox and his aggression is calculated. He is capable of molding his innings as per the situation, a quality that might be required at the Eden.They also have a long batting lineup, with Jason Holder and Romero Shephard producing brilliant innings against South Africa coming at No. 7 and 9. The West Indies are a cohesive lot this time around and their players have iterated they are enjoying the dressing room atmosphere. They have played two matches here during the tournament.

Arshdeep Singh (Getty Images)

CHENNAI: There is an infectious aura around Arshdeep Singh. The left-arm pacer can be cut-throat with his yorkers and swing on the field, but off it, he is a ball of energy.Here in Chepauk on Thursday night, Arshdeep was in ominous touch, swinging the ball both ways and keeping Zimbabwe’s batters on a tight leash. He picked up three wickets and went past Jasprit Bumrah to become India’s leading wicket-taker in T20 World Cup history with 35 scalps. And after helping India drub Zimbabwe, Arshdeep showed a different shade of himself from his menacing on-field persona at the media zone. Most of his replies were full of beans.

One such reply came when he was asked about South Africa’s win over West Indies earlier in the day, which had already eased India’s path. Grinning, he offered a playful “thank you” to the Proteas and even shared how the tension had played out back in the hotel room.“We weren’t glued to the match but kept checking the scores here and there. My family was in the hotel room and when the West Indies batters were hitting, my dad was cursing them. I said, ‘Don’t get angry, just enjoy the match, and hope that South Africa win’. They (SA) played very well, thank you to them for giving us the chance to decide our result in the next match. It was fun to watch, and we’ll try to beat them in the final,” Arshdeep said.India’s next fixture against the West Indies at the Eden Gardens will be a virtual quarterfinal, and Arshdeep knows it won’t be a straightforward affair. The Caribbean side’s power-hitters can change the script in the blink of an eye and he was quick to point out that they are not merely one-dimensional. Windies, after all, clawed their way to a competitive total despite being down to 83-7 against South Africa on Thursday.

“It’s not like they have only one gear. If you look at their game against SA, they played really nicely in the middle as well. They took the game deep and then made around 180 runs. So I guess they can also adapt according to the situation. Looking forward to the game, we’ll see how the pitch plays and what the conditions are like. The focus right now is on recovery, and we’ll assess things on game day,” said Arshdeep.One thing Arshdeep will be focused on against West Indies come Sunday is, in his own words, “trying to control the chull (urge) of bowling bad balls (laughs)”. And he went on to add that he and his fellow bowlers are happy to do the “dirty job” on batting-friendly surfaces.“As long as our batters are having fun batting on these surfaces, we’re more than happy to do the dirty job. We don’t mind being hit for runs. Our game plan has been to score big and then try to defend it,” said the 27-year-old.

Abhishek Sharma (AFP Photo)

CHENNAI: It’s finally firing just when it matters. The Indian top-order, which left a lot to be desired until now, came into its own on a batting beauty at the MA Chidambaram Stadium against a pedestrian Zimbabwe attack on Thursday. With West Indies looming next at Eden Gardens on Sunday, there is bound to be a sense of relief in the camp.To start with, Abhishek Sharma got going, and the recycled opening partnership with Sanju Samson smashed 48 off 22 balls, which set the tone for the massive total of 256 for 4. Abhishek, during the course of his 30-ball 55, got his runs at a strike rate of 183.3, but he seemed to cut down on his recklessness. The lefthander’s bat swing is one of the best in the business, so it is not always necessary for him to try and generate extra power. On Thursday, he looked to time the ball more than strive for power and played the ball a lot straighter, making run-scoring look easy and relatively risk-free.

Explaining his unhurried approach, the southpaw said: “I just wanted to spend some time on the pitch. So far, I haven’t batted 10-12 balls. I want to thank my team; they backed me and reminded me that my time will come,” Abhishek said.While Abhishek getting runs was a good sign before the must-win West Indies game, Sanju’s 24-run cameo, too, came in for praise. Firstly, the left-right combination was a welcome shift, and Zimbabwe couldn’t use one of their off-spinners right at the beginning of the Powerplay. Tilak Varma, who had to come down to No 6 because Ishan Kishan took his place at No 3, felt Sanju’s innings was important in India’s batting resurgence.“It’s important that openers give a good start; Nos 3, 4 and 5 can come out with confidence when it happens. Sanju did that brilliantly today, and it was followed by others,” the southpaw said.Tilak spoke about a change in approach by the batters ahead of the game that made a difference. According to the 23-year-old, it was coach Gautam Gambhir who sat with the batters and told them to go in with the mindset that helped them play so well in T20Is over the last year-and-a-half.“We wanted to put fear in the mind of the opposition; we wanted them to realise that we’re coming for them, even if we lost a wicket… Gautam sir reminded us of the brand of cricket we played last year and against New Zealand and South Africa prior to the World Cup. So, whatever the situation, as individuals, our plan was to go out there, smile and enjoy the game,” Tilak said.No. 6 is a position where Tilak hasn’t batted too much recently. He always enjoys a little bit of time in the middle, but following an indifferent patch at No 3, the team wanted him to take up the finisher’s role. More so, with Rinku Singh looking unlikely for the rest of the tournament following the death of his father. Tilak said he didn’t mind it at all, because “it’s all about the team’s cause”.“I played that role for India as well as Mumbai Indians a few times. So, I’m up for it. This game is about adjusting according to the situation… I was just waiting for one good innings, and it came at the right time. I am pretty confident going forward that I can win games for the team,” Tilak said about his 16-ball 44.Another player who batted with flourish was Hardik Pandya. His 23-ball 50 and economical three-over spell earned him the Player-of-TheMatch award.“It was an innings where I had to reassess my style. Initially, I was trying to hit the ball too hard. Then I realised I could time the ball and did that. Now it’s about keeping our skillset and putting our best foot forward,” Pandya said.

Shivam Dube, left, captain Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya (AP Photo)

NEW DELHI: The uncertainty surrounding India’s campaign at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 has finally cleared. After a dramatic round of Super 8 matches, the defending champions now have a straightforward path to the knockouts.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!South Africa’s commanding nine-wicket win over West Indies in Ahmedabad confirmed the Proteas’ place in the semi-finals from Group 1. Later in the day, India strengthened their position with a resounding 72-run victory over Zimbabwe in Chennai.With Zimbabwe eliminated and South Africa already through, the final Group 1 clash between India and West Indies at Eden Gardens on Sunday has effectively turned into a virtual quarterfinal.

India Semifinal Qualification Scenario

The equation is simple: India must beat the West Indies to qualify for the semi-finals.Both teams currently sit on two points from two matches. The winner of Sunday’s encounter will join South Africa in the last four.There is, however, one small caveat. If the match is washed out due to rain — and there is no reserve day — West Indies would advance on the basis of a superior net run rate, knocking India out of the tournament. At present, though, there is no forecast suggesting weather disruption in Kolkata.In short, the calculators are back in the bag. For India, it is purely a win-and-progress scenario.

India’s qualification push gathered serious momentum after a batting masterclass against Zimbabwe. Posting 256/4 — the second-highest total in men’s T20 World Cup history — India entertained home fans with a barrage of sixes.Abhishek Sharma returned to form with a blistering half-century, while Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma provided a thunderous finish. Zimbabwe fought back through Brian Bennett’s unbeaten 97, but India’s bowlers ensured a comfortable victory.Earlier, South Africa’s clinical chase of 177 against West Indies reshaped the group. A rapid opening partnership between Aiden Markram and Quinton de Kock made light work of the target, underlining why the Proteas remain unbeaten in the tournament.