'Sanju Samson should play consistently': Sourav Ganguly hails Indian opener
What's the story
Sourav Ganguly, the former Team India captain, has praised wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson's match-winning innings against West Indies in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 clash. Samson's unbeaten 97 off 50 balls at Kolkata's Eden Gardens helped India defeat West Indies by five wickets and secure a spot in the tournament's semi-finals. After the match, Ganguly said that Samson should regularly feature in white-ball cricket for India.
Player potential
Ganguly praises Samson's match-winning knock
Speaking to reporters after the match, Ganguly said, "Outstanding. He's a very good player. He should consistently play for India in the white-ball." The former captain added that when Samson gets set, he can seriously damage the opposition, and he showed awareness of the match situation during this crucial game. According to Cricbuzz, this was the first time that Samson remained unbeaten after opening till the end in T20Is.
Knock
Samson gets India home in Kolkata
Samson's unbeaten 97 (50) included 12 boundaries and 4 sixes. Despite a phase where India lost regular wickets, Samson stayed resilient and helped India chase down 196 in the final over. Notably, Samson now has the highest individual score for India in T20 World Cup run-chases. He surpassed Virat Kohli's unbeaten 82 against Australia in 2016 and Pakistan in 2022.
Information
India to face England in semis
After this victory, India will take on England in the second semi-final on March 5 at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium. England earlier topped the Super 8 Group 2 with a magnificent win over Pakistan. Ganguly added that England will be a stronger opposition than WI.