Indian opener Sanju Samson has received a massive boost in his T20I rankings after a sensational innings against West Indies at the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. Samson, who won a match-winning 97* to take India to the semi-finals of the tournament, jumped 25 places in the ICC T20I men’s batting rankings.
According to the updated lists released on March 4, Sanju is ranked 40th among the best batsmen in the world. Immediately ahead of him are West Indies’ Rovman Powell, South Africa’s Reeza Hendricks and Pakistan’s Babar Azam.
India’s Abhishek Sharma, who continues to hold the top spot despite enduring a tough run of form, leads the rankings. Pakistan’s Sahibzada Farhan is in 2nd place, closely followed by England’s Phil Salt in 3rd place.
SAMSON’S SENSATIONAL 97* vs. WEST INDIES
The Indian opener played a breathtaking knock in India’s do-or-die Super 8s match against West Indies. Samson held the innings from the very start at the Eden Gardens and helped the hosts chase down a target of 196 runs, their highest in T20 World Cup history.
Samson didn’t try to overfire the ball and remained unbeaten with 97* off 50 balls. He hit 12 fours and 4 sixes in Kolkata and remained composed despite wickets falling around him.
Samson, who was dropped from the team at the start of the tournament, caught a lucky break after India were forced to change their team combination due to the woeful form of their left-handers. Samson made the team and made an immediate impact in Chennai against Zimbabwe, a form he carried over to Eden.
India will now face England in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2026 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The match is expected to be high scoring.
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Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
04 March 2026 16:30 IST
