West Indies, who lost the toss and elected to bat first, scored 195 runs for the loss of 4 wickets in 20 overs. Team India chased down this target in 19.2 overs for the loss of 5 wickets ... read more

Indian batsmen celebrated a run-fest in Kolkata on Sunday. Sanju Samson (97) led India to victory with his innings. Sanju Samson, who spent most of the tournament on the bench, played a match-winning innings in a crucial virtual quarterfinal.

India defeated West Indies by 5 wickets in their final Super 8 match to book a place in the semi-finals. India will face England in the second semi-final on March 5th. This match will be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

West Indies, batting first after losing the toss, scored 195 runs in 20 overs for the loss of 4 wickets. Team India chased down the target of 196 runs in 19.2 overs for the loss of 5 wickets. Sanju Samson was also the hero of India's victory. However, West Indies' journey has ended with the defeat. 196 runs is India's highest run chase in the T20 World Cup.  

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗲𝘀 🇮🇳#TeamIndia are semi-finals bound in the #T20WorldCup 👏

Updates ▶️ https://t.co/ur4pr8Bi3K#MenInBlue | #INDvWI pic.twitter.com/45sjJydel9

— BCCI (@BCCI) March 1, 2026

Great start for West Indies

Speaking of the match, West Indies got off to a strong start after opting to bat first. The new opening pair of Shai Hope and Roston Chase kept no wickets in the powerplay. They added 68 runs for the first wicket off 53 balls. Varun Chakravarthy broke the partnership by bowling Hope (32).

Bumrah made a comeback

Jasprit Bumrah then struck twice for the West Indies in the 12th over. He dismissed Shimron Hetmyer on the third ball of the over and Roston Chase on the fifth. Chase played a blistering innings of 40 runs off 25 balls, while Hetmyer smashed 27 runs off 12 balls. Chase was given a life in the fifth over when Abhishek Sharma dropped an easy catch.

Hardik got 1 wicket

After the drinks break, Hardik Pandya dismissed Sherfane Rutherford (14) off the first ball of the 15th over. The Indian bowlers failed to take any wickets after that. Rovman Powell remained unbeaten on 34 off 19 balls, while Jason Holder remained unbeaten on 37 off 22 balls.

Abhishek's bat did not work

India, chasing 196, got off to a poor start. Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan were caught out while attempting big shots. Abhishek scored 10 runs off 11 balls, including two fours. Ishan, meanwhile, scored 10 runs off 6 balls. Captain Suryakumar Yadav, batting at number 4, supported opener Sanju Samson.

Sanju batted freely and hit shots all over the pitch. He played the field well, finding the gaps with ease, and also hit some spectacular boundaries. Sanju Samson reached his half-century off just 26 balls.

Surya did not seem in rhythm

After 10 overs, India's score was 98 runs for the loss of 2 wickets. India needed 98 runs to win in the next 10 overs. Captain Suryakumar Yadav lost his wicket in the 11th over. The Indian captain played a slow innings of 18 runs off 16 balls, hitting 1 four and 1 six. Surya and Sanju shared a partnership of 58 runs off 35 balls.

Hardik Pandya also failed

The pressure of the wicket was evident. The 11th and 12th overs yielded 3 runs each. Tilak Varma and Sanju Samson then played some good shots. India scored 17 runs in the 13th over. After the drinks break, India suffered their fourth setback.

Tilak Verma was caught out on the fourth ball of the 15th over. Tilak scored 27 runs off 15 balls. Shimron Hetmyer caught him off Jason Holder. Sanju and Tilak shared a 42-run partnership off 26 balls. Hardik Pandya managed only 17 runs.

Sanju Samson missed out on a century

Sanju Samson played an unbeaten innings of 97 runs off 50 balls, hitting 12 fours and four sixes. He was named Player of the Match for his brilliant innings. At the beginning of the tournament, Sanju was benched, with Abhishek and Ishan opening the innings. Sanju got a chance against Namibia when Abhishek fell ill, but he was subsequently ruled out.

After losing the first match of the Super 8s to South Africa, India's playing XI underwent significant changes. Sanju and Abhishek opened the innings against Zimbabwe, while Ishan was promoted to number 3. In the crucial match against the West Indies, Sanju proved the team management's decision right by playing a match-winning innings. Shivam Dube, for India, scored 8* runs off 4 balls, hitting 2 fours during the innings.

Cometh the hour, cometh Sanju Samson! 🫡

9⃣7⃣*(50) - A knock for the ages to take #TeamIndia into the semi-finals 👏

Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/ur4pr8Bi3K#T20WorldCup | #MenInBlue | #INDvWI | @IamSanjuSamson pic.twitter.com/ftJRp2wMTE

— BCCI (@BCCI) March 1, 2026

Highest score for India in T20 World Cup

• 101 runs: Suresh Raina vs South Africa, 2010
• 97*: Sanju Samson vs West Indies, 2026
• 92: Rohit Sharma vs Australia, 2024
• 89*: Virat Kohli vs West Indies, 2016
• 84*: Suryakumar Yadav vs USA, 2026

PC :Jagran