India are through to a mouth-watering semi-final against England after compiling their highest run chase at a T20 World Cup to see off West Indies in Kolkata.
The holders owed much to a magnificent unbeaten 97 off only 50 deliveries from Sanju Samson as they chased down their opponents’ 195-4 to win with four deliveries remaining. With South Africa having already claimed the Super Eights group, the game was a winner-takes-all contest at Eden Gardens to secure a place in the last four.
Samson hit 12 fours and four sixes in a chanceless innings, gaining invaluable support from Tilak Varma (27 off 15 balls) and sharing useful partnerships with Suryakumar Yadav (18) and Hardik Pandya (17).
The 31-year-old only came into the India side late in the tournament, but has now very much proved his worth.
“Right from when I started dreaming of playing for my country, this is the day I was waiting for,” Samson, who was playing his 59th T20 international, told the post-match presentation. “I’m very grateful, very thankful. I’ve had a special journey with lots of ups and downs. I’ve doubted myself, thinking: ‘What if? Can I make it?’ But I kept on believing.
“I’ve been playing this format for a very long time. I’ve been playing IPL for 12 years, and 10 years for my country. Not only playing but looking from the dugout, learning from the greats like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. It’s very important to observe, learn and see what they were doing. That helped me with my experience.
“I have only played maybe 60 games, but I’ve seen around 100 games and how the greatest players have finished games or adapted. This is one of the greatest days of my life.”
It was the first time he had both started and ended a run chase at the crease in either the IPL or T20 international cricket.
West Indies’ captain Shai Hope congratules Sanju Samson on his match-winning knock (Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP via Getty Images)
Yadav was full of praise for the opening batter, who finished the game emphatically with a six and a four in the final over.
“I always say good things happen to good people who wait,” said Yadav. “People who have a lot of patience. It’s all his hard work; what he’s been doing behind closed doors when he’s not been playing. He’s got the fruit of that (labour) now at the perfect stage.”
Roston Chase had top scored for West Indies with 40 in their innings with useful contributions from all six of the batters who featured, albeit captain Shai Hope took 33 balls to compile his 32.
Their 195 still looked an awkward total, not least because India had never chased more than 173 to win a game in this format at the World Cup. A partisan crowd bemoaned three dropped catches en route, as well as a missed run out.
But Samson’s innings smoothed their passage with something to spare, setting up the holders’ meeting with Group Two winners England at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday.
“Expectations will always be there,” added Yadav. “There will be pressure, there will be expectation from a lot of people coming to the ground or watching back home, but when a game like this comes, you have to be courageous, bring your A-game, put your best foot forward and take a positive option. I think we were quite good in taking that.
“If there’s no pressure, there’s no fun.”
South Africa will take on New Zealand in Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Wednesday in the first semi-final.