Samsonic: Secret Missile Sanju Takes India To Semis

Samson dropped anchor and built crucial stands with his mates right down the order before seeing India through to the Last Four stage, in which they will play England in Mumbai on Thursday. His 50-ball knock contained 12 boundaries and four sixes.

It was fitting that the batter from ‘God’s Own Country’ did it at the Eden Gardens, which turned India’s paradise. Kerala’s Sanju crafted an innings that held India together, steadied the ship before it cruised into the knockout stage of the tournament. The City of Joy simply erupted. Samson was Eden’s Adam.

The 31-year-old was ice cool even as the team suffered setbacks in the form of wickets. He first put on a 58-run stand with skipper Suryakumar Yadav (18) for the third wicket after the hosts had slipped to 41 for 2. Samson then raised 42 for the fourth wicket with Tilak Varma (27) which stabilised the innings before a 38-run partnership with Hardik Pandya (17) put the hosts within touching distance before sealing the five-wicket win with a six and a four in the last over.

Earlier, the West Indies rode on fine stands in the opening and closing stages of their innings to post a near-200 total. They were also helped by some poor fielding from the hosts who dropped three catches and conceded 11 extras (including 10 wayward wides).

Openers Shai Hope and Roston Chase put on 68 for the first wicket to lay the platform before Rovman Powell and Jason Holder were involved in a stand of 76 for the unbroken fifth wicket to propel the Caribbeans to a big total.

Powell and Holder turned the heat on India with some fierce hitting, slamming 70 in the last five overs. The 16^th over bowled by Arshdeep proved too costly for India as 24 runs came off it — Powell showed scant respect for the left-arm pacer, thumping him for two sixes and a boundary.

No.5 Powell powered 34 off just 19 balls, smashing three boundaries and two sixes while Holder’s 37 came off 22 deliveries, two of which went crashing to the boundary and three sailed comfortably over it.

The Men in Maroon played their cards cautiously, inching to a modest 45 without loss at the end of Powerplay. After a quiet over-and-a-half, Hope hit Pandya out of the ground for the first six of the match. In the third over, Roston Chase struck two successive boundaries off Arshdeep as the score began to pick pace.

Hope was the first to fall, bowled by Varun Chakravarthy after making 32 in 33 balls which included three fours and a six. Windies 68 for 1 in the ninth over.

Chase was dropped in the fifth over by Abhishek Sharma as he tried to go after pacer Jasprit Bumrah. The Indian opener, who has not quite been in form for most part of the tournament, spilled a simple chance as he juggled before grassing the skier at cover. The Windies opener was on 14 then and went on to make 10 short of a half-century. A catch by Surya off Bumrah ended his 25-ball knock which was decorated with five boundaries and a six.

Shimron Hetmyer too played aggressively to rattle 27 off just 12 balls, smashing a four and two sixes in the process as the Windies had their noses in front, right through.