Sanju Samson's 89 drove India to 253/7 against England in T20 World Cup semifinal at Mumbai on Thursday. Samson won back-to-back Player of the Match awards as India defeated England by seven runs to enter their second straight T20 World Cup final. Sanju Samson dedicated his Player of the Match award to Jasprit Bumrah following the pacer's stellar performance in India's T20 World Cup semifinal victory over England.
Sanju Samson slammed a 42-ball 89 as India posted an imposing 253 for seven against England in the second semifinal of the T20 World Cup here on Thursday. Sent in to bat, Sanju blasted seven sixes and eight fours in his innings. Shivam Dube (43), Ishan Kishan (39), Hardik Pandya (27) and Tilak Varma (21) also chipped in with brisk knocks.
ALSO READ: Yesterday match results: India beat England by 7 runs in thrilling T20 World Cup 2026 semi-final; Sanju Samson blazes with 89 runs
“It feels really great. To be honest, I had a sense after the last game that I was getting into some form, so I just wanted to continue that momentum. It’s not easy to find form in crucial matches for your country, so I told myself that in a big game like this, I had to make the most of how I was batting,” added Samson.
“I gave myself a bit of extra time and tried to pace my innings well. I prepared really well, and thankfully, things came off nicely. I was a little lucky at the start, but once I got going, I just wanted to carry on. At Wankhede, we all know no score is really safe, so the idea was to get as many runs as possible. You have to assess the conditions. We’ve played a lot of cricket at Wankhede, and chasing can become easier here. When they won the toss and asked us to bat, we knew that with the way Ishan and I were batting after Abhishek got out, a score around 250 was possible. That was something we were discussing in the dressing room as well.”
India vs England: Player of the Match
After collecting the trophy, Sanju Samson had no hesitation in handing it over to Jasprit Bumrah, describing him as a “once-in-a-generation bowler.” “Very happy how the team turned up today, and all credit goes to Jasprit Bumrah. He is a world-class bowler, a once-in-a-generation bowler. I think that's what he delivered today. I think this [award] should go to him. I think if we didn't bowl that way in the death overs, I think I would not be standing here,” Samson said during the post-match presentation ceremony.Sanju Samson slammed a 42-ball 89 as India posted an imposing 253 for seven against England in the second semifinal of the T20 World Cup here on Thursday. Sent in to bat, Sanju blasted seven sixes and eight fours in his innings. Shivam Dube (43), Ishan Kishan (39), Hardik Pandya (27) and Tilak Varma (21) also chipped in with brisk knocks.
ALSO READ: Yesterday match results: India beat England by 7 runs in thrilling T20 World Cup 2026 semi-final; Sanju Samson blazes with 89 runs
“It feels really great. To be honest, I had a sense after the last game that I was getting into some form, so I just wanted to continue that momentum. It’s not easy to find form in crucial matches for your country, so I told myself that in a big game like this, I had to make the most of how I was batting,” added Samson.
“I gave myself a bit of extra time and tried to pace my innings well. I prepared really well, and thankfully, things came off nicely. I was a little lucky at the start, but once I got going, I just wanted to carry on. At Wankhede, we all know no score is really safe, so the idea was to get as many runs as possible. You have to assess the conditions. We’ve played a lot of cricket at Wankhede, and chasing can become easier here. When they won the toss and asked us to bat, we knew that with the way Ishan and I were batting after Abhishek got out, a score around 250 was possible. That was something we were discussing in the dressing room as well.”
