New Delhi: Former Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir has found himself at the center of social media criticism after his bold predictions about India backfired. Amir had earlier claimed that India will fail to reach the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup.
However, India silenced the doubters with a resounding five-wicket win over West Indies in the virtual quarter-final at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday. Powered by Sanju Samson’s unbeaten score of 97, India sealed their place in the semi-finals in style.But Amir has now reignited the controversy with another strong statement, asserting that India is still unable to reach the final.
Team India arrives in Mumbai after booking a place in the semi-finals | T20 World Cup 2026
“India completes cricket nahi khel ra. India final nahi kihiliga]India is not playing complete cricket.
Amir said: India will not play the final.Elaborating further, he said, “My analysis in the semi-final was correct, but Sanju Samson played really good cricket. However, I feel India are yet to play complete cricket, except for Jasprit Bumrah, there is not a single player at their best. Just look at their batting, in almost every match, they keep suffering from collapse. The semi-final against England will be a good contest, but I am sure India will not play the final.”
Samson MasterclassAfter winning the toss, India chose to bowl first. West Indies openers Roston Chase (40 off 25, five fours and a six) and skipper Shai Hope (32 off 33, three fours and a six) gave their team a strong start with a 68-run opening partnership. However, the innings lost momentum as they slumped to 119/4 in 14.1 overs, despite a quickfire 27 off 12 balls from Shimron Hetmyer.A late surge from Jason Holder (37* off 22, two fours and three sixes) and Rovman Powell (34* off 19, three fours and two sixes) saw the pair add 76 runs in just 35 balls, pushing West Indies to 195/4 in 20 overs.Jasprit Bumrah (2/36) was India’s most effective bowler. Varun Chakaravarthy and Hardik Pandya picked up a wicket each, conceding 40 runs each in their four overs.Chasing 196, India faltered early and were 41/2 inside the powerplay. Samson stabilized the innings with a 58-run stand alongside Suryakumar Yadav (18). He then built crucial partnerships with Tilak Varma (27 off 15), Hardik Pandya (17) and Shivam Dubey (8*), to lead India to victory with five wickets in hand.Samson beats KohliSamson’s 97* is now the highest individual score by an Indian in a successful chase for the T20 World Cup. He surpassed Virat Kohli’s unbeaten score of 82 against Australia in Mohali (2016) and Pakistan in Melbourne (2022).Across the IPL and T20Is, Samson opened the batting 29 times in a run chase, and this was the first time he remained unbeaten till the end.The chase of 196 is India’s highest in T20 World Cup history, surpassing the 173-run chase against South Africa in Mirpur in 2014. With the win, India secured a record-equalling sixth semi-final appearance in T20 World Cup history, matching Pakistan (2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2021, 2022) and England (2010, 2016, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2026).Samson’s knock is also the second highest individual score by an Indian in T20 World Cup history, behind Suresh Raina’s 101 against South Africa at Grosse Isle in 2010.
