IND vs WI: From 42/2 to the Final Four: Samson’s Symphony Sends India Soaring

- By Meenakshi Rao

Kolkata: If there is a soundtrack to India’s journey into the semifinals of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, it is the sound of a crowd rediscovering its voice. At 42 for 2 in the powerplay — Abhishek Sharma gone for 10, Ishan Kishan for 10 — the familiar unease crept into Eden Gardens. The target read 196. The required rate flirted with 10 an over. And yet, by the end of a breathless night, the India national cricket team were laughing, hugging and walking into the semifinals, five wickets in hand and four balls to spare.

The chase was hard-fought, occasionally ragged, but ultimately joyous — a proper T20 contest that demanded nerve, calculation and just enough audacity.

The powerplay wobble had a sense of déjà vu. A crisp Abhishek drive here, a fluent Ishan punch there, but neither converted their starts. When Jason Holder’s short-of-a-length ball hurried Kishan into a pull to deep square leg, India were 42/2 in 4.4 overs, staring at a required rate already nudging 10.5. But this was where the night changed colour.

At the crease stood Sanju Samson and Suryakumar Yadav — one in imperious touch, the other in quiet calculation. Their partnership was not just about boundaries; it was about time. Samson’s early intent — a sweep over backward square, a carve through point, a muscular pull over midwicket — ensured the asking rate never ran away.

At the 8-over mark, India were 78/2. Required rate: 9.83. Current rate: 9.75. Balance restored.

Samson’s fifty arrived in style — six boundaries and three sixes — a statement innings on a big night. At that moment, India still needed 98 from 60 balls, but the equation felt human again. At the other end, SKY’s 18 off 16 was understated but essential, absorbing pressure and rotating strike until he fell just when the game hovered on a knife-edge.

When Suryakumar sliced Shamar Joseph to deep point, the game flickered. India needed 96 from 56. The win predictor tilted marginally in favour of the West Indies. The crowd held its breath. Samson did not.

He shifted gears with a craftsman’s precision — a punch straight down the ground, a glide through point, a late squeeze past backward point. When Tilak Varma joined him, the chase found fresh oxygen. Tilak’s 27 off 15 — punctuated by four crisp boundaries and a lofted six — ensured the momentum did not dip even as wickets fell around him.

Between overs 12 and 15, India plundered 48 runs. The equation shrank from 95 off 54 to 60 off 36. For the first time, West Indies looked like the side chasing the game.

From 42/2 in 4.4 overs, India surged to 121/3 in 13 overs. The partnership phases maintained a scoring rate between 9.3 and 10.7, perfectly aligned with the required rate. Samson’s eventual 87 off 49 balls (11 fours, 3 sixes) became the highest score by an Indian in a T20 World Cup chase, surpassing Virat Kohli’s previous best.

India closed the chase at 196/5 in 19.2 overs, winning by five wickets with four balls to spare.

Even then, the match had its last twist. Hardik Pandya fell at 17, and for a fleeting second, the ghosts of tight chases past returned. But Samson, unflustered, finished what he had begun — a flicked six to bring scores level, and a clean strike over mid-on to seal the win.

It was fitting. This was his night, his chase, his statement.

India’s road to the semifinal has been uneven but increasingly assured. The batting, once accused of being top-heavy, now showed resilience across phases. The bowling — though expensive earlier in the evening — had done just enough to keep the target within reach. And most importantly, the team displayed composure under pressure, chasing 196 in a must-win game on a high-stakes night.

The blend of aggression and calculation — Samson’s command, and Dube’s finishing touch — offered a blueprint for knockout cricket. As the lights shimmered back to full brightness after the mid-innings laser show and the crowd found its voice again, the night felt less like survival and more like arrival.

India are in the semifinals. And if this chase is any indication, they are there not by accident — but by design, by daring, and by the sound of a bat that refused to stay quiet.