Under Pressure, Samson Delivers as India Reach Semifinals With Win Over West Indies

India vs West Indies Super 8 Highlights: India secured a place in the semifinals in Kolkata after defeating West Indies, with Sanju Samson’s brilliant knock proving decisive.

India vs West Indies: The Indian team has secured a place in the semi-finals of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 by defeating the West Indies in the final Super 8 match. In this virtual quarter-final played at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday, the West Indies scored 195 runs for the loss of 4 wickets in 20 overs after batting first. The Indian team achieved the target of 196 runs by losing 5 wickets in the last over. The Indian team will now face England in the semi-finals on March 5.

No Batsman Performed Except Sanju

Indian batsmen once again disappointed in this match. Abhishek Sharma, who was in great form before the World Cup, was out after scoring just 10 runs off 11 balls. Ishan Kishan also returned to the pavilion after scoring 10 runs. Captain Suryakumar Yadav could only manage 18 runs, while Hardik Pandya was out after scoring 17 runs. Tilak Varma spent some time at the crease, but there was one batsman who stayed at the crease from start to finish. Sanju Samson played a brilliant, unbeaten innings of 97 runs off 50 balls in this match.

Sanju hit 12 fours and 4 sixes in his innings. Whenever needed, Sanju Samson played big shots, and when required, rotated the strike. Sanju Samson made the biggest contribution to India's victory.

West Indies Got a Good Start

In this match, Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and decided to bowl first. No changes were made to the team. The West Indies got off to a good start, with captain Shai Hope and Roston Chase forming a 68-run partnership for the first wicket. Varun Chakravarthy gave India their first breakthrough by bowling Shai Hope.

After this, Shimron Hetmyer started batting explosively but returned to the pavilion after scoring 27 runs off 12 balls. During this time, Rovman Powell was also dismissed by Jasprit Bumrah. Powell scored 40 runs off 25 balls. In the end, Rovman Powell and Jason Holder batted aggressively, taking the West Indies to 195 runs. Jasprit Bumrah was the most successful bowler for India, taking 2 wickets for 36 runs in 4 overs.

Sanju Alone Outplayed West Indies

The Indian team's start was once again poor as they chased the target of 196 runs. Abhishek Sharma scored 10, Ishan Kishan 10, and Suryakumar Yadav 18 before getting out. After this, a good partnership between Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma raised hopes for Team India's victory. In the end, Sanju Samson, along with Shivam Dube, completed the remaining task and led India to victory in 19.2 overs.