India wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson brushed aside criticism and gave a sheer testament to his batting prowess by slamming an unbeaten 97* in the IND vs WI T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 clash. Chasing a relatively high target of 196, Sanju’s knock became the key to help India secure a convincing five-wicket win and qualify for the semifinal of the ICC event.
The dynamic right-hander blasted a staggering 12 boundaries and four maximums but it was his temperament and grit that shone through the innings. Furthermore, it was a strong statement from Sanju Samson, who was not even first choice name in the India playing XI, coming into the tournament.
With Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan opening the innings, Sanju got to play just one fixture in the group stages where Abhishek was absent due to illness. However, the management decided to bring him back for the last two Super 8 clashes in place of Rinku Singh, who wasn’t looking his best and to address the top-order woes.
Sanju’s recent heroics now earned him praises with India’s greatest chasemaster Virat Kohli. Interestingly, Sanju also went past Kohli’s 82* in 2016 and 2022 to hold the record for the highest score by an Indian in a chase in a T20 World Cup.
Let’s check some of the best reactions to Sanju’s batting below.
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Speaking about the IND vs WI clash, the Windies were put to bat first and they put up an extremely competitive total of 195/4 in 20 overs. Jasprit Bumrah was the pick of the Indian bowlers, finishing with 2/36 from his four overs.
Coming to the chase, the Men in Blue struggled early after losing Abhishek Sharma (10) and Ishan Kishan (10) cheaply but Sanju held the fort from the other end. He formed key partnerships with skipper Suryakumar Yadav (18), Tilak Varma (27), Hardik Pandya (17), and Shivam Dube (8*) to keep the scoreboard propelling and take India over the finishing line.
With a title defence on the cards, India will now lock horns against England in the T20 World Cup 2026 semifinal on March 5 and hope to seal the berth in the summit clash.
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