India Secures T20 World Cup Semifinal Spot After Thrilling Victory Over West Indies; Samson Stars with Unbeaten 97

Mumbai. India has secured a place in the T20 World Cup semi-finals and will face England at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on March 5. India defeated the West Indies by 5 wickets in the final Super-8 match.

Sanju Samson scored a top score of 97 not out in this match. In this exciting match played at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, the West Indies batted first and scored 195 runs for the loss of 4 wickets in 20 overs. In reply, India achieved the target in 19.2 overs for the loss of 5 wickets, registering a spectacular victory.

• Key Statistics from the Victory:

Target of 196: The target of 196 runs achieved by India against the West Indies in Kolkata is the third-highest successful chase in men's T20 World Cup history. Previously, England successfully chased 230 runs against South Africa in 2016, and South Africa chased 206 runs against the West Indies in 2007.

India's Record Chase: The target of 196 runs is the highest successfully chased by India in a T20 World Cup match. It broke the previous record of 173 runs against South Africa in 2014. The 195/5 posted by the West Indies is the highest total conceded by India when bowling first in a T20 World Cup and the third-highest overall. Including Sunday's match, this is only the fourth time India has been set a target of over 173 runs to chase in a T20 World Cup.

Sanju Samson's Brilliant 97: Sanju Samson's unbeaten 97 against the West Indies is the second-highest score by an Indian in the men's T20 World Cup. Only Suresh Raina's 101 against South Africa in 2010 is ahead of him. This is the highest score by an Indian in a T20 World Cup chase, surpassing Virat Kohli's 82 not out against Australia in 2016 and Pakistan in 2022. Overall, this is the fifth-highest individual score in a chase for India in men's T20 Internationals.

Samson's First Chase Fifty: Samson's 97 was his first half-century in a chase in T20 Internationals. His previous highest score in a chase was 39 runs against Sri Lanka in Dharamshala in 2022.

Rovman Powell's 150th Six: Rovman Powell hit his 150th six in T20 Internationals, making him the first West Indies batsman to hit so many sixes in this format. With the two sixes hit on Sunday, Powell surpassed Nicholas Pooran's record of 149 sixes.

West Indies' Six Record: The 76 total sixes hit by the West Indies in this World Cup is the second-highest number of sixes hit by any team in a T20 International series or tournament. The highest is 78 sixes hit by Bulgaria in the 2025 Tri-Series.

Shimron Hetmyer's 19 Sixes: Shimron Hetmyer hit 19 sixes, which is the most by any batsman in a single edition of the T20 World Cup. This surpassed the record of 18 sixes set by Sahibzada Farhan in the same tournament.

India's Sixth Semifinal: India has reached the semi-finals of the men's T20 World Cup for the sixth time: 2007, 2014, 2016, 2022, 2024, and 2026. Pakistan and England are the other teams to reach six semi-final stages.

Large Gap Between Samson and Varma: The 70-run difference between Samson's unbeaten 97, the second-highest individual score for India in the match, and Tilak Varma's 27 runs on Sunday is the largest gap between the highest and second-highest individual scores in an innings for India in the men's T20 World Cup. Previously, the gap was 66 runs between Rohit Sharma (79 not out) and Harbhajan Singh (13) against Australia in 2010. This 70-run gap is the second-highest in any chase in the men's T20 World Cup, following the 72-run gap between Harry Brook's 100 and Will Jacks' unbeaten 28 in the match between England and Pakistan last week.

Consecutive Wins at Eden Gardens: India has achieved its eighth consecutive victory in men's T20 Internationals at Eden Gardens, since losing their first match against England at this venue in 2011. This is India's longest winning streak at any venue in this format. Five of the eight T20 International matches won by India at Eden Gardens have been against the West Indies.