India’s Sanju Samson greets the crowd as he returns to the pavilion after being dismissed by England’s Will Jacks during the second semi-final cricket match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 between India and England at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, Maharashtra. (PTI) TimesofIndia.com in Mumbai: “Dukhi maat ho bhai… you can always get a chance. (Don’t be disappointed, the opportunity can come anytime),” were former India captain Rohit Sharma’s soothing words when he met Sanju Samson before India’s World T20 opener against the USA at the Wankhede Stadium about a month ago. Little did he know then that a player who was nowhere close to making the playing XI would keep India alive and back in the tournament not once, but twice, but now twice.now in the past when the batsman has timed his form perfectly and proved to be a force to be reckoned with at the right time.If the unbeaten 97 in Kolkata against the West Indies was calm and controlled, the 89 in Mumbai was sheer dominance. Two contrasting strikes resulted in the same result for India, a win. Settling into his chair to freshen up his media interaction, the 31-year-old reflected on the two innings but kept his reactions measured as there was “one more step” to go.
How Mr. Cool Sanju Samson shot India to the semi-finals of the World Cup
“It’s a really great feeling and at the same time a relief that I’ve been trying to do something like this for my country for several years. I’ve been waiting with a lot of patience, with a lot of inner work, with a lot of training and with a lot of practice. So I should definitely be very grateful, but I also feel that we have one more step to go. If we do this, then I think all the work and everything was worth it.”“So I feel like one more innings should be really good. And yeah, I think the last innings definitely played a good role in this innings as well. I knew I was timing the ball really well and making good decisions. I thought if you’re in shape you should definitely contribute to your team in this game. So I prepared myself for today and things came together very well,” Samson said.
Sanju Samson of India bats during the India vs England ICC Men’s T20 World Cup India vs Sri Lanka 2026 semi-final match at the Wankhede Stadium on March 5, 2026 in Mumbai, India. (Photo by Prakash Singh/Getty Images)
He was within striking distance of scoring in sets, especially at the World Cup, but he chose to look on the bright side and valued the match-winning contribution more than the milestone. Kolkata’s run chase forced him to bat a certain way due to the regular fall of wickets, but he soon realized that dominance would be the key as he batted first in the semi-final on an absolute divide of the pitch.From 12 boundaries and four sixes in Kolkata to eight boundaries and seven sixes in Mumbai, the intensity remained the same on both the outings. The strike rates were in similar territory, but the approach was dictated by the match situation and what would work best for the team at the time.“The last game was about taking the team with us. Once we got the momentum going, the wickets kept falling in the last game so I had to play it to the last ball. But this game was completely different. When you’re batting first at the Wankhede, you know no score is enough here, so I wanted to get as many fours and sixes as possible for the team,” explained Samson.
Sanju Samson of India celebrates reaching his half-century during the ICC Men’s T20 India v Sri Lanka 2026 semi-final match between India and England at the Wankhede Stadium on March 5, 2026 in Mumbai, India. (Photo by Prakash Singh/Getty Images)
When India and England last met in a bilateral T20I series, Samson was troubled by Jofra Archer with short bowling. But the opener came well prepared to take on the pacer. A solid base and slight changes in his initial movement allowed him to get into better positions and he made good use of the depth of the crease to avoid being rushed by the excess pace and bounce available at the start of the innings.In this T20I series, Archer dismissed Samson thrice in 23 balls. But Thursday’s game was a start as he took advantage of an early reprieve from Archer’s bowling to punish the bowlers. Thirty-nine runs off just 14 balls, including three boundaries and four sixes, ensured that the much-anticipated battle between the former IPL teammates had a clear winner.“It was definitely playing in my head. The last time we played them at home we played five games against England and Jofra was definitely a very effective bowler at that time. So I had to prepare a bit and be a bit more clear in my head about how I was going to face him. I tried to apply that today. He’s definitely a world-class bowler.”
Sanju Samson of India bats during the India vs England ICC Men’s T20 World Cup India vs Sri Lanka 2026 semi-final match at the Wankhede Stadium on March 5, 2026 in Mumbai, India. (Photo by Prakash Singh/Getty Images)
“You have to respect what he’s doing and be confident at the same time. I was a little more confident because I had a really good innings a couple of days ago. I needed to carry that confidence forward and that helped me beat the bowlers today,” Samson said.Having played more than 300 T20 games, Samson has often started conversations about his batting but failed to sustain them due to inconsistency. A decade-long wait for his first T20 World Cup appearance ended in unusual circumstances as Abhishek Sharma was unavailable due to illness. However, he is now the rightful owner of the highest place in the ranking. After two back-to-back Man of the Match appearances, some weight has been lifted off his shoulders, but he remains focused on Sunday’s title fight.“One more game, then I will feel very light,” was his reply when asked if he was relieved after the winning innings.
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Rohit, who tried to keep his former T20I teammate in good spirits on February 7, would have been a proud man watching the action unfold from the stands on Thursday.“It’s a long tournament,” the former India captain said on February 7 as he hugged Samson, who assured him he was fine. The smile was a distraction, but the eyes told the story.However, that story was rewritten within weeks and now another video clip of the two talking is eagerly awaited.
