Sanju Samson fires India into T20 World Cup semi-finals, England up next

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/samson-sanju/nH19FPur/"]Samson[/a] hit 12 fours and four sixes in his superb 50-ball knock in the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/cricket/india-fcOzl2uI/west-indies-jTD1lMfO/?mid=fqh3yxaB"]winner-takes-all final Super Eights match[/a] to thrill a capacity 67,000 fans at a pulsating Eden Gardens.[/p][p]After the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/west-indies/jTD1lMfO/"]West Indies[/a] smacked 70 off the last five overs to score 195-4 after being asked to bat, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/india/fcOzl2uI/"]India[/a] lost two early wickets but were always up with the required rate.[/p][p]Samson, opening for the second match in succession, led the way.[/p][p]When India slipped to 41-2, Samson was joined by captain Suryakumar Yadav (18), and the pair added 58 for the third wicket.[/p][p]Tilak Varma was next to join Samson and scored 27 off 15 before departing in the 15th over with the score 141-4 and India still needing 55.[/p][p]Samson stood firm, and though Hardik Pandya fell for 17, India reached the target with four balls to spare to spark celebrations and fireworks.[/p][p][b]"It means the whole world to me," [/b]Samson said. [b]"Right from the day I started playing, started dreaming to play for the country, I think this is the day I was waiting for."[/b][/p][p]Samson said he learned the art of finishing matches [b]"from the greats like Virat Kohli, from Rohit Sharma."[/b][/p][embed guid="2c3a1082-8f82-4c5e-89c2-7955ead258c5" url="https://x.com/T20WorldCup/status/2028162376382771242" social-type="twitter" /][p]Jason Holder and Rovman Powell earlier put on an unbroken stand of 76 for the fifth wicket to help the West Indies set the defending champions a target of 196 to stay alive.[/p][p]The West Indies sprang a surprise at the top of the order, promoting Test captain Roston Chase to open alongside T20 skipper Shai Hope.[/p][p]That enabled them to bring in an extra spinner, Akeal Hosein, with regular opener Brandon King left out.[/p][p]In their defeat to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/south-africa/tUhlKzIm/"]South Africa[/a] last week, the West Indies slumped to 83-7, but the new-look opening partnership was more assured.[/p][p]Spinner Varun Chakravarthy got the first breakthrough, bowling Hope for a sluggish 32.[/p][p]Shimron Hetmyer raced to 27 off 12 balls before falling to the faintest of edges off Jasprit Bumrah to make it 102-2.[/p][p]After Chase fell for 40 and Sherfane Rutherford followed, Powell and Holder launched their brutal late assault.[/p][p]Powell finished on 34 not out from 19 balls with two sixes and three fours, while Holder was unbeaten on 37 off 22 balls with three sixes and two fours.[/p][p][b]"Maybe a few short, especially on a chasing ground such as this,"[/b] said a disappointed Hope.[/p][p][b]"Probably could have gone a bit more at the end. Probably could have got more at the start as well."[/b][/p][embed guid="4df9486a-eb98-480f-bc8a-503e209e9c70" url="https://x.com/T20WorldCup/status/2028165425876570180" social-type="twitter" /][p]It could have been better for India, but they dropped three regulation catches in a sloppy fielding display, including Chase when he had made just 15.[/p][p]South Africa, the only unbeaten side in the tournament, beat Zimbabwe by five wickets earlier on Sunday and will face [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/new-zealand/G6PWlrQB/"]New Zealand[/a] in Kolkata in the first semi-final on Wednesday.[/p][p]The final is in Ahmedabad next Sunday.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/cricket/world/t20-world-cup/"]Follow the rest of the T20 World Cup with Flashscore.[/a][/b][/p]