India set up T20 World Cup semi-final against England after edging West Indies

Kolkata, 3 March — India stormed into the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup semi-finals with a nerve-shredding five-wicket win over West Indies that ended the Caribbean side’s campaign and booked a blockbuster last-four date with England in Mumbai on Thursday.

Chasing 196 on a raucous Eden Gardens surface, Sanju Samson delivered the innings of his life, carving an unbeaten 97 from 50 balls to eclipse Virat Kohli’s record for the highest score by an Indian batting second in a T20 World Cup. With two balls left Samson crashed consecutive boundaries to seal victory and spark delirium among a sea of blue in the stands.

West Indies, sent in by Suryakumar Yadav, had earlier threatened to run away with the contest. Openers Shai Hope (32 off 33) and Roston Chase (40 off 25) laid a rapid platform before Jason Holder’s 22-ball 37 not out and Rovman Powell’s 19-ball 34 not out hoisted the total to 195 for four. India’s reply wobbled when Abishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan each fell for 10, and the captain himself holed out for 18 in the 10th over.

Enter Samson. The right-hander found an ally in Tilak Varma, whose 15-ball 27 re-energised the asking rate, and then in Hardik Pandya, spared on 17 when Holder shelled a straightforward chance in the 16th over. Shivam Dube’s ice-cool eight from four deliveries ensured Samson retained strike, and the wicket-keeper batter duly finished the job with a flurry of late blows that finished one boundary short of a century.

The result sets up a third consecutive T20 World Cup semi-final between India and England, each of the previous two ending in a tournament-defining rout: England’s 10-wicket stroll in Adelaide 2022 and India’s 68-run demolition in Guyana 2024. On both occasions the victor went on to lift the trophy. India’s recent form against England is ominous for Harry Brook’s side: nine wins in the last 12 T20s, including five of the last six and a 150-run annihilation at the Wankhede little more than a year ago.

“Right from the day I started dreaming of playing for the country, this is the knock I was waiting for,” Samson said afterwards. “I’ve learned from greats like Kohli, Rohit, MS Dhoni, and today everything came together.”

West Indies skipper Shai Hope took heart from his team’s campaign despite the abrupt exit. “We adapted to different conditions and set high standards,” he reflected. “We just couldn’t get over the line today.”

Attention now turns to Mumbai, where India and England will meet at 1:30 p.m. GMT on Thursday, live on Sky Sports Cricket, for the right to contest Sunday’s final.