Opener Sanju Samson smashed an unbeaten 97 off 50 balls (12 fours, 4 sixes) to steer India to a thrilling five-wicket win chasing 196 against West Indies in a Super Eights clash at Eden Gardens on March 1, 2026. The victory clinched India's semi-final spot versus England on March 5 in Mumbai, but was overshadowed by a racist social media post targeting the Kerala batter, drawing condemnation from Kerala Congress.
West Indies, sent in after losing the toss, raced to 45/0 in the powerplay via openers Shai Hope (32 off 33) and Roston Chase (40 off 25). Hope fell to Varun Chakaravarthy, before Shimron Hetmyer (27 off 12) and Chase were dismissed by Jasprit Bumrah's double blow. Late fireworks from Rovman Powell (34* off 19) and Jason Holder (37* off 22) propelled them to 195/4.
India's reply stuttered early at 53/2, with Abhishek Sharma (10 off 11) and Ishan Kishan (10) departing. Samson steadied the ship, adding 58 with Suryakumar Yadav (18) and 42 with Tilak Varma (27 off 15), before partnering briefly with Hardik Pandya (17). He finished unbeaten, sealing victory with a six and four off Romario Shepherd, reaching 199/5 with five balls to spare. This marked India's highest successful T20 World Cup chase and Samson's record for the highest by an Indian in a T20WC chase, surpassing Virat Kohli. Samson earned player-of-the-match.
Reinstated as opener after the loss to South Africa, Samson credited intense preparation including a four-day camp in Thiruvananthapuram with coach Zubin Bharucha on varied pitches, despite modest recent form (46 runs in five T20Is vs New Zealand). He said on Star Sports: "I kept believing in myself, switched off my phone, switched off social media and listened to my own self." Samson called it "one of the greatest days of my life," with captain Suryakumar Yadav bowing to him post-match and posting on Instagram: "Good things happen to good people who wait."
West Indies captain Shai Hope shouldered blame for the slow start: "Yes," to batting faster at the top, adding, "We adapted well but couldn't get over the line."
Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif praised the batting reshuffle post-South Africa defeat: "Credit, in a way, goes to South Africa... that made the team rethink the combination."
A three-minute laser show during drinks drew flak from Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri for vision disruption; Gavaskar: "This is the World Cup... do you need this?" Anil Kumble cited mental issues for Abhishek's dip, while Pakistan's Mohammad Amir lauded Samson's knock as the best of his life but critiqued India's play.
Samson's comeback earned acclaim from Malayalam icons Mammootty, Mohanlal, Prithviraj, Dulquer Salmaan, and Tamil director CS Amudhan, who called it 'The Kerala Story.'
Controversy erupted post-match over an X post with Samson's photo captioned: "Dark forces can defeat dark forces! Well played, Sanju Samson." Kerala Congress slammed it as "vile racism" with "no place in India," urging Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw for action.
India now gears up for England in the semi-finals.
