Sanju Samson's 97* powers India into T20 WC semis, earns Suryakumar's praise

Samson, whose place in the playing 11 was under scrutiny after his lean patch with the bat, delivered in India's must-win T20 World Cup Super Eight clash against the West Indies, helping his team reach the semifinals on Sunday.

Suryakumar also highlighted Samson's patience and hard work and felt it paid off. He also believed the bowlers stuck to the plan, and the chase was on track, given the dew and pitch conditions.

Yadav also emphasised that small partnerships were key and expressed his thrill to be in the final four of the T20 WC, crediting the team's consistent performance.

"Obviously, it's a great feeling. The way we played, it was a do-or-die game, and the boys showed character. [Samson's innings] See, I always say good things happen to good people who wait. Who have a lot of patience. All his hard work, what he has been doing behind the doors when he hasn't been playing, he has got the fruits for it at the perfect stage," Suryakumar Yadav said after the match.

"I feel everyone bowled according to plans. We knew 200 is always a good score to chase here with the dew and the ball coming on nicely. And the way the batters responded later on with small partnerships, that was the key. [On being in the semis] Very happy to be there. The way we played in the first game, we deserve that spot. [On the pressure] Expectations will always be there, but you should always know what you have to do on the field. I told the boys that there will be pressure and expectations of a lot of people, but in games like this, you have to be courageous and take positive options whenever under pressure. When there's no pressure, there is no fun. There is pressure, there are butterflies in the stomach, but it's about how you understand that and how you take it," he added.

India's win secures a semi-final spot, knocking West Indies out of the tournament. Samson carried his bat, leading India's highest successful T20I chase in the T20 WC and at the Eden Gardens.

With this innings, Samson also surpassed veteran Indian batter Virat Kohli (82) to slam the second-highest individual score for India in T20 World Cups.

Samson has opened the batting in 29 run-chases in T20Is and IPL. This is the first instance of him remaining unbeaten till the end of the innings.

Coming to the match, India opted to field, and WI put up 195/4 on the board, powered by a 35-ball 76 run stand between Jason Holder (37* in 22 balls, with two fours and three sixes) and Rovman Powell (34* in 19 balls, with three fours and two sixes).

While Team India was down 41/2 within the powerplay, Samson single-handedly steered India to a win, scoring 97* in 50 balls, with 12 fours and four sixes. Tilak Varma was the second-highest run-getter, stitching a valuable 42-run stand with Sanju and scoring a brisk 15-ball 27. India will play England in a semifinal in Mumbai on March 5.

- ANI