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 semifinals.

After the game, former India opener Kris Srikkanth showered rich praise on Samson, saying that the way latter paced his innings and stayed till the end reminded everyone of Virat Kohli.

“Sanju Samson did justice to his ability with this innings. And that celebration at the end, sitting down after the win, looking up and thanking God, showed how grateful he was. We’ve spoken about his batting, but let’s not forget, he kept wickets for 20 overs and then batted for 20 overs. That’s a testament to his fitness as well. Very well done, Sanju. The way he finished this innings reminded us of the great players who have played such knocks before, especially Virat Kohli, though this one had its own ups and downs,” Srikkanth said while speaking on his YouTube channel.

“The innings he played here, the way he managed himself through ups and downs, was commendable. During the powerplay, when he was batting on 20, 25, 28, I was closely watching how he was pacing his innings. When you are chasing nearly 200, you have to produce a pure masterclass in chasing. For years, we saw that masterclass from Virat Kohli. This was that kind of innings. Of course, Samson is a different player. He takes more risks and plays more big shots, which makes controlling his game even tougher,” he added.

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.

Pathan believes this knock of Samson will be talked about for a long period of time. “This was not ‘Justice for Sanju Samson,’ it was ‘Justice by Sanju Samson.’ That was the kind of innings he played for India against the West Indies. The knock Sanju Samson produced has now turned into a story. When people look back at this World Cup campaign, this innings will be spoken about in stories, how Samson absorbed all the pressure. If defending champions India had to reach the semifinals and stay alive in the World Cup, someone had to play a special innings. Samson did exactly that. The way he absorbed the pressure and took control of it, it was outstanding batting,” Pathan remarked.

India will now face England in the second semifinal at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on March 5.