Ice cold Sanju Samson leads India to T20 World Cup semi-finals | Cricket News –

TimesofIndia.com in Kolkata: Moments after reaching the winning boundary, Sanju Samson took off his helmet and knelt down to thank God Almighty. Relief washed over the face of the right-hander who led India to the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup with a stunning knock.

Even before the crowd could capture the winning moments, Vande Mataram played to the max as the Indian dugout rushed to celebrate what was a daring chase under pressure. “Lehra Do” was next and laser lights joined in the action as the announcer fired up the crowd. The party had only just begun in Kolkata after India (199/5) bowled out West Indies (195/4) with four deliveries remaining. Even a week ago in Ahmedabad, Sanju Samson was nowhere near the starting line-up as India were happy with left-handers Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma as openers.

However, the persistent off-spin threat, which led to early wickets, forced the think tank to rework its strategy and return the right-hander, Samson, to the top of the order. He lost his place to the in-form Kishan but a tactical appeal forced the left-hander to drop back to third and the left and right flank were recovered.

The move worked in the must-win match against Zimbabwe in Chennai earlier this week, as it not only gave India a quick start, but also kept spin at bay.

Despite introducing spin early in Kolkata and India losing two early wickets, Samson unleashed his maximum potential when the team had its back against the wall. In pursuit of a difficult target, the right-hander struck a memorable knock to help India advance to the semi-finals of the multi-nation tournament.

He drove well, cut fiercely and showed big match temperament in front of a huge crowd at Eden Gardens. Whether with pace or spin, Samson brought them down with aplomb and never lost his form in the process.

He hit the ball where it was supposed to be hit, but his cold temper showed through during his 50-ball 97*, which included 12 boundaries and four sixes.The field was very wet and the absence of demons made batting less difficult. However, the pressure of the scoreboard in a virtual quarterfinal match made it a daunting task. The fall of wickets at the other end did not change Samson’s approach. He continued to work at a healthy strike rate and kept the demand rate under control.

A partnership with Suryakumar Yadav put the chase on track after the early wicket, giving it the much-needed boost with a refreshing stand of 42, off just 26 balls, with Tilak Varma.

When Hardik Pandya joined Samsun, the equation was under control: 55 runs were needed off 32 balls. As the batting continued, India took control of the match from that point. Samson and Pandya put India within striking distance of victory, with Samson helping India cross the line with five wickets in hand.Earlier, after opting to field first, India’s bowling was hugely disappointing, the group letting down their bowlers in excellent batting conditions. Three mistimed boundaries, two dropped catches, and one missed opportunity cost India dearly as they were unable to link the high-flying West Indies batting line-up with regular breakthroughs. The situation was by no means alarming at the halfway mark, as the bowlers kept the score down to 82/1.

The scoreboard could have been much worse if they had taken advantage and capitalized on the run-out, but it was nowhere near panic zone.Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy each had three overs remaining, and Suryakumar Yadav’s smart changes gave India a tactical advantage in the second half of the innings. West Indies signaled their intent as they took 17 runs from second over by Chakaravarthy.

The body language dropped very briefly as Eden Gardens was on the verge of exploding in the 12th over, bowled by Bumrah.

Two wickets, including that of off-spinner Shimron Hetmyer, had the crowd roaring and chants of “Boom Boom Bumrah” echoed through the stands every time the bowler stood over his mark. He had a match advantage over the left-hander and dismissed him in just two runs, adding another wicket with a slower ball that completely fooled the well-prepared Roston Chase.

From 102/1, the scoreboard became 103/3 within a few deliveries and India did what assistant coach Ryan Ten Deutscheat had predicted: fight fire with fire.As the hosts flew into the final drinks period of the innings at the end of the 14th over, the scoreboard showed a dominant 119/3, but India still had to get Hardik Pandya out of the way. During the break, coach Gautam Gambhir went straight to the all-rounder and discussed what angle he could explore opposite Shirvan Rutherford.

Pandya executed the plan perfectly, dismissing the left-hander off the first delivery to put India in a commanding position.125/4 with only five to play was not a bad situation, especially with four overs remaining from Bumrah and Arshdeep and one off Chakarvarthy. The heavy dew was beginning to settle but someone would have supported them to do the job in those dire situations.

But what happened the next five overs was a very calculated, muscular attack from Rovman Powell and Jason Holder. Together they added 70 runs in the next 30 deliveries, dropping Bumrah, Arshdeep and Chakarvarthy in the process.Bumrah conceded 26 runs in his last two overs, Chakarvarthy conceded 14, and Arshdeep leaked 30 from his remaining two overs. In the 16th over, bowled by Arshdeep, the momentum swung West Indies’ way as they got out 24 runs. The left-arm pacer looked a mess, conceding two sixes, five wides and two more, leaving shoulders slumped on the field. Bumrah gave it his all in the remaining two overs and his reaction after Varun let the ball go to the boundary summed up the overall performance on the field.

Which was a huge disappointment on their biggest evening of the tournament so far.However, the impressive Samson has filled in all the cracks to book a semi-final clash with England at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on March 5.Summary scores: 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)