Team India dominated West Indies in their last match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 and secured a victory over them. Guess what, this big win helped them to make it to the semi-finals of the tournament against England on Thursday, March 3 at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
Sanju Samson’s heroics against West Indies in the Super 8 game
One of the most underrated player, Sanju Samson was a major part of Team India’s massive win over West Indies. Before this game, he was facing ups and downs in his form and performance. His low scores were giving him major setbacks. However, destiny had some other plans as he showcased a mesmerizing innings against West Indies in the important Super 8 game and helped his side to chase the mammoth 196-run target against the two-time champions of the tournament with four balls to spare.
Sanju Samson enters the elite list
Not only this, his great performance also helped him enter the elite list. Samson scored 97 runs against West Indies and remained not out till the end of the game. After this mesmerizing innings, he became the second-highest individual scorer for India in such situations. The first one is ‘Mr. IPL’ (Suresh Raina) who scored a 101-run knock against South Africa in 2010.
Samson reacts to his iconic performance
After this great performance, Sanju Samson reflected on his day and the challenges he has faced so far, “It means the whole world actually to me. I think right from the day I started playing, started dreaming to play for the country, this is the day I was waiting for. And I’m very grateful, very thankful. I’ve always had a very special journey with lots of ups and downs, but I kept on doubting myself, kept on thinking: what if, what if… can I make it? But I kept on believing, and thanks to the Lord Almighty for actually blessing me today. So I’m very happy,”
‘Learning from greats like Virat and Rohit’: Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson mentioned that legendary players Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have played a major role throughout his career, “Yeah, I think that’s why I have been playing this format for a very long time. Playing IPL for around 10 to 12 years and being with the Indian team for the last 10 years… I have not always been playing, but I was looking from the dugout, learning from greats like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. It’s very important to observe, learn, and see what they were doing.”
Samson opens up about how watching matches helps him
Sanju Samson also revealed how it felt to watch the matches from dugout, “I think that really helped me. With my experience, I have only played maybe 50-60 games, but I’ve seen around 100 games. I’ve watched how the greatest players finish games and how they change their approach according to the situation. In the last game we were batting first, so it was all about setting a very high score.”
“So that’s why I wanted to go big right from ball one. But this game was completely different. As soon as I tried to go a bit harder, we were losing wickets. So I wanted to build a partnership, focus on my process. I never felt that I would do something special like this – I was just focusing on my role, taking it one ball at a time, and I’m very grateful,” he added.
Sanju Samson marked this day as one of the greatest of his life, “Yeah, definitely they do bring a lot of energy and support. But on the other hand, there’s always a question – what if not? That keeps playing in your mind. But whenever that thought came, I brought myself into the present moment, looked at the ball, and trusted myself to react based on its merit. That worked pretty well today.”
