Samson's unbeaten 97 helped India qualify for the semifinals.
Sanju Samson starred with the bat in India’s five-wicket victory over the West Indies in a must-win Super 8 clash of the T20 World Cup 2026 at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Sunday (March 1).
The wicketkeeper-batter slammed 97 not out off 50 balls with 12 fours and 4 sixes to help India chase down a stiff target of 196 runs with four deliveries to spare. As a result, the Men in Blue qualified for the semifinal.
After the win, India head coach Gautam Gambhir heaped praise on Samson’s match-winning performance, saying that the latter showed his “true potential” the team always believed in.
“Sanju is a world-class player, we all know how good a player he is. And it was all about backing him. And then when the team needed him the most, obviously today was a day where he probably showed his true potential, and hopefully, this is a time for him to kick off and probably two more games to go,” Gambhir told reporters.
During the chase, the defending champions were reduced to 41/2 within the powerplay. It was a 58-run stand between Samson and Suryakumar Yadav (18) which brought the hosts in track. Then Sanju went on to stitch partnerships with Tilak Varma (27), Hardik Pandya (17) and Shivam Dube (8*) to take India over the line.
Gambhir was particularly impressed by the manner of Samson’s innings. “Look, I actually thought that he never accelerated the innings. It was just a very, very normal cricketing shot, and I never saw any muscling the ball as well, and that is the kind of talent he has. When you know that you're in control of the game and you know that you're feeling good, he's hitting the ball really well in the nets and it's about going in the middle and showcasing that skill that you had,” the coach remarked.
Highlighting Samson’s composure in the chase, Gambhir reiterated his long-standing faith. “I have always said that he is a world-class player, he is a great talent and hopefully he can kick off now and hopefully we can see a lot more innings like this from Sanju.”
Gambhir also shrugged off criticism regarding his past scores. “People will keep looking at his scores and stuff, but then coming back into the team and then playing that kind of innings… it must have given him a lot of confidence. Because obviously, the guy had a tough series against New Zealand. But we always knew the kind of potential he had.”
India will now face England in the second semifinal at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on March 5.