Sanju Samson's 97* powers India into T20 World Cup semifinals

"It means the whole world actually to me. I think right from the day I started playing, started dreaming to play for the country, I think this is the day I was waiting for. And I'm very grateful, very thankful. And I've always had a very special journey with lots of ups and downs, but I've kept on doubting myself, kept on thinking, what if, what if, can I make it, 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," Samson said at the post-match presentation after being named Player of the Match.

His unbeaten 97 off 50 balls was not merely a match-winning innings; it was the defining performance of India's campaign in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, sealing a semifinal clash with England. Samson's innings was shaped as much by experience as by temperament, forged through years of watching and learning from the sidelines.

"Yeah, I think that's why I have been playing this format for a very long time. I think playing IPL around 10 to 12 years and playing for the country from last 10 years, I have not been playing, but looking from the dugout, learning from the greats like Virat Kohli, from Rohit Sharma, like all the greats. I think it's very important to observe and learn and see what they were doing. I think that really helped me to, I think with my experience, I have only played maybe 50, 60 games, but I've seen around 100 games and I've seen how the greatest people have finished the games and how do they change their game according to the game," he added.

Chasing 195 in a virtual quarterfinal, Samson showed remarkable composure, adjusting his tempo as wickets fell around him.

"So I think the last game we were batting first, so it was all about setting a very high score. So that's how I wanted to go big right from ball one. But this game was completely different. I think as soon as I wanted to go a bit higher, we were losing wickets. So I think I wanted to build a partnership, wanted to keep focusing on my process. And I never felt that I will do something special like this, but I was just focusing on my role and just keeping one ball at a time and very grateful. I think this is one of the greatest days of my life," he said of his knock.

Even as the noise of expectation swelled, Samson relied on mental discipline to stay grounded. Speaking of the cheers from the crowd, Sanju stated, "Yeah, definitely they do bring a lot of energy and they do bring a lot of support. But I think on the other end, there is always a question, what if not? So definitely that keeps on playing in your mind. But when that thought kept on coming, I just brought myself into the present moment and just looked at the ball and trusted myself to react according to the ball in merit. So I think that worked out pretty well today."

On a night when India needed certainty, Samson delivered conviction, not just in runs, but in belief. The defending champions will now face England in the second semi-final on March 5 at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

- IANS