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Team India captain Suryakumar Yadav hailed his team’s fearless approach after their five-wicket win over West Indies in Kolkata on March 1, which secured a semi-final spot in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2026.

During the post-match presentation, Suryakumar highlighted the importance of the win and said, “Obviously it’s a great feeling. The way we played, it was a do-or-die game and the boys showed character.”

The skipper also praised Sanju Samson for his match-winning unbeaten knock of 97 runs. “See I always say good things happen to good people who wait. Who have a lot of patience. All his hard work, what he has been doing behind the doors when he hasn’t been playing, he has got the fruits for it at the perfect stage,” Suryakumar said.

Batting first, West Indies posted a strong total of 195/4. Reflecting on that, Suryakumar stated, “I feel everyone bowled according to plans. We knew 200 is always a good score to chase here with the dew and the ball coming on nicely. And the way the batters responded later on with small partnerships, that was the key.”

Talking about the excitement and pressure for the upcoming semi-finals, the captain shared, “Very happy to be there. The way we played from the first game, we deserve that spot. Expectations will always be there but you should always know what you have to do on the field. I told the boys that there will be pressure and expectations of a lot of people but in games like this you have to be courageous and take positive options whenever under pressure. When there’s no pressure, there is no fun. There is pressure, there are butterflies in the stomach but it’s about how you understand that and how you take it.”

Chasing a difficult target of 196 runs, India lost early wickets, but Samson’s brilliant performance helped the team chase down the target with four balls to spare.

The defending champions will now face England on March 5 in Mumbai.