TimesofIndia.com in Kolkata: Soon after reaching the winning boundary, Sanju Samson took off his helmet and knelt down to thank the Almighty. The right-hander had a relaxed look on his face as he delivered a stunning knock to take India into the T20 World Cup semi-finals. Even before the crowd could capture the winning moment, ‘Vande Mataram’ was at full volume and players from the Indian dugout rushed out to celebrate a top-notch run under pressure. “Lehra Do” followed, and laser lights joined the performance as the announcer egged the audience on. The party only started in Kolkata after India (199/5) beat West Indies (195/4) with four deliveries. Until a week ago in Ahmedabad, Sanju Samson was far from making the XI as India were content with two left-handers, Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma, as their two openers. However, the constant threat of spin resulted in early wickets, forcing the think tank to re-strategize and bring the right-hander Samson back to the top of the order. He lost his place to the in-form Kishan but tactical requirements forced the southpaw to drop to No. 3 and the right-hander resumed. The move worked in the must-win game against Zimbabwe in Chennai earlier this week, not only giving India a brisk start but also maintaining their lead. Despite the introduction of spin early on in Kolkata and India losing two early wickets, Samson unleashed his best potential when the team struggled. The right-hander played a memorable knock while chasing a hard target to help India advance to the semi-finals of the multi-nation tournament. He drove the ball well, chipped ferociously and showed big-game flair in front of the Eden Park crowd.
Be it pace or spin, Samson knocked them down with aplomb and never lost shape in the process. He hit the balls he was supposed to hit, but his ice-cold nerves came to the fore in his 50-ball 97*, which included 12 boundaries and four sixes.With plenty of dew on the pitch and no demons, batting becomes less difficult; however, the scoreboard pressure of a virtual quarterfinal makes it a difficult task. The wickets falling from the other end did little to change Samson’s approach; he continued to operate at a healthy strike rate and keep the asking price in check. A partnership with Suryakumar Yadav put the chase behind the early wickets on track and along with Tilak Varma gave the game a much-needed boost with a comfortable 42 runs off just 26 balls.When Hardik Pandya joined Samson, the equation was under control: 55 runs needed in 32 balls. As the batting progressed, India controlled the match from then on. Samson and Pandya gave India the win, with Samson taking five wickets to help India cross the finish line.Earlier, after opting to open the batting, India’s defense was a huge letdown, with the group letting down the bowlers in excellent batting conditions. Three false boundaries, two false catches and a missed run cost India dearly as they were unable to seal the high-flying West Indies batting line-up with regular breakthroughs. Midway through the match, things were not alarming and the bowlers kept the score at 82/1. The scoreboard could have been worse if they had caught the ball and capitalized on the run, but it was far from panic territory.Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy both had three overs left, while Suryakumar Yadav’s clever bowling changes gave India a tactical advantage heading into the second half of the innings. West Indies showed their determination by scoring 17 runs in the second over at Chakravarthy. The body language became ever so brief as Eden Gardens was about to erupt off Bumrah’s delivery in the 12th over.Two wickets, including that of the dangerous Shimron Hetmyer, had the crowd roaring with joy and chants of “Boom Boom Bumrah” echoed from the stands every time the bowlers stood above the target. He had a match-up advantage over the left-hander, bowled him out in just two deliveries and added another wicket with a slower ball, completely deceiving a well-placed Roston Chase. A few overs later, the score went from 102/1 to 103/3 and India did what assistant coach Ryan Ten Doushate expected: tit for tat.At the end of the 14th over, when the hosts went into the drinks interval of the final innings, the scoreboard read 119/3, but India still needed to get Hardik Pandya over. During the break, head coach Gautam Gambhir went straight to the all-rounder and discussed the angles he could explore against Sherfan Rutherford. Pandya executed the plan perfectly, dismissing the left-hander on the first delivery, putting India in the driver’s seat.125/4, with just five games left, is not a bad position to be in, especially with four overs from Bumrah and Arshdeep, and one from Chakarvarthy. Heavy dew is starting to fall but people will support them in getting the job done during this emergency. However, in the next five overs, Rovman Powell and Jason Holder put in a well-choreographed muscle attack; in the next 30 deliveries, they added a total of 70 runs, beating Bumrah, Arshdeep and Chakarvarthy in the process.Bumrah conceded 26 runs in the last two overs, Chakarvarthy conceded 14 runs and Arshdeep conceded 30 runs in the remaining two overs. Arshdeep’s 24-run delivery in the 16th over turned the West Indies’ momentum around. The left-hander looked out of form, conceding two sixes off five balls and another two balls, resulting in a dropped shoulder. Bumrah gave it his all in the remaining two overs and his reaction after Varun’s delivery went out of bounds summed up the overall performance on the field. It was a big letdown on their biggest night of the tournament so far.However, one special Samson overcame all odds to play the semi-final against England on March 5 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.Brief score: West Indies 195/4 in 20 overs (Roston Chase 40, Jason Holder 37, Rovman Powell 34; Jasprit Bumrah 2-36)India: 199/5 in 19.2 overs (Sanju Samson 97; Jason Holder 2-38)
