New Delhi: Eden’s night of reckoning turns into night of redemption Sanzhou Samsonand the captain Suryakumar Yadav Couldn’t have scripted it any better.Push boundaries with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!With India’s T20 World Cup Super Eights on the line, Samson’s unbeaten 97 off 50 balls helped India seal a semi-final berth with a five-wicket win over West Indies. After a lean run, with everyone scrutinizing, Samson answered every question in style – and his captain made sure the world knew it.
“Obviously, it’s a great feeling. The way we played, it was a do-or-die game, like a quarter-final, and the way the kids showed character, I thought it was a great thing,” Suryakumar said after the game.But it was his heartfelt words to Samson that really caught the attention.“Look, I always say, good things happen to good people who wait and are patient enough. I said the same when I met him just now. But it’s all his hard work, the stuff he’s been doing behind the scenes when he’s not playing, and he’s getting the fruits at the perfect stage. The way he’s batting has given the team a complete win.”West Indies post 195/4 after chasing 196 – powered by fireworks from the evening Jason Holder and Roffman Powell — India lost 41/2 early in the powerplay. But Samson stepped up, combining timing with audacity. Small partnerships, especially a crucial 42 runs (27 off 15) with Tilak Varma, kept the chase alive.Suryakumar revealed the situation in the dressing room. “I felt like everyone bowled to plan. We knew that 200 was always a good score with the dew and the ball going well. The way the batsmen reacted with the lads afterwards was the key.”The captain also addressed the increasing pressure. “Expectations are always there, but you should always know what you have to do on the field. I tell the kids, there will be pressure… but in a game like this, you have to be brave and make positive choices under pressure. No pressure, no fun. “Samson’s 97* is currently India’s second-highest individual score in the T20 World Cup after Suresh Raina101, his first unbeaten run in the T20I chase.“It’s great to be there,” Surya smiled about the semifinals. “Judging from our performance in the first game, we deserve to be in this position.”India will face England in the semi-finals at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday.
