India has entered the semi-finals by defeating West Indies in the Super-8 match of ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. Wicketkeeper batsman Sanju Samson became the biggest hero of Team India’s victory in this important match, who led India to victory by playing a brilliant inning of unbeaten 97 runs in a pressure filled match.
This match played at Eden Gardens, Kolkata was being considered as ‘virtual quarterfinal’, because the winning team was to get a direct ticket for the semi-finals. India had a big target of 196 runs, but the team did not have a good start and two wickets fell quickly in the initial overs. In such a situation, Sanju Samson took the responsibility and took the match till the end.
Praise received from politics to cricket world
After this match-winning inning of Sanju, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor praised him profusely on social media. He said, “Today, my chest is filled with pride after Sanju Samson’s brilliant innings in the virtual quarterfinal match against West Indies. Earlier, when he did not get a place in the team, I too felt sad for him. However, today he showed the world that he deserved this place from the very beginning. We are proud of Sanju.”
Sachin Tendulkar, who is known as the God of Cricket, also praised Sanju and said that his calmness in difficult situations proved to be very important for the team. He said that only such innings give the team the strength to move forward.
Former all-rounder Yuvraj Singh also praised Sanju and said that he did not get many chances in this World Cup, but when the team needed him, he played the most important innings of his life.
Now clash with England in the semi-finals
Thanks to this innings of Sanju Samson, India also completed its biggest successful run chase in T20 World Cup history. With this victory, Team India’s next match will be against England in the semi-finals. This victory is also special for Team India because before this they had to face a crushing defeat against South Africa, but this brilliant comeback against West Indies once again showed how the Indian team can turn the match in its favor under pressure. This innings of Sanju Samson will be remembered for a long time.
