Sanju Samson tips hat to Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli after powering India to T20 World Cup semis; ‘haven't been playing…’

Sanju Samson kept India's slogan of History Repeat Karenge, History Defeat Karenga in tact after his 97 not out powered the Men in Blue to the T20 World Cup 2026 semifinals on Sunday at the iconic Eden Gardens, defeating West Indies in a do-or-die Super 8 clash. Chasing West Indies' 195/4, India romped home with four balls to spare.

Calling it a “greatest day of his life”, Samson was candid enough to mention Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the wicket-keeper batter admitted that watching the former captains from the sidelines have helped him approach the situation. “I think playing IPL around 10 to 12 years and playing for the country from last 10 years,” Samson started after the game.

“I have not been playing much, but looking from the dugout, learning from the greats like Virat Kohli, from Rohit Sharma, like all the greats. I think it’s very important to observe and learn and see what they were doing. I think that really helped me. I have only played maybe 50, 60 games, but I’ve seen around 100 games and I’ve seen how the greatest people have finished the games and how do they change their game according to the game,” he added.

'This is the day I was waiting for'

Having made his India debut in 2015, Samson has played just 59 T20Is and peaked until 2024 when he smashed three hundreds within a span of five games in the shortest format to regain the trust of the national selectors. But the right-hander will keep his 97 not out at the top of his list.

Chasing a mammoth 196, India were off to a disastrous start, losing both Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma in the powerplay. But Samson, a veteran of 177 Indian Premier League matches kept his cool to bat through and forge important partnerships with the likes of captain Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya to steer the team home in a record run chase.

“I never felt that I will do something special like this, but I was just focusing on my role and just keeping one ball at a time and very grateful. I think this is one of the greatest days of my life. It means the whole world actually to me. I think right from the day I started playing, started dreaming to play for the country, I think this is the day I was waiting for,” added Samson, who was awarded the Player of the Match for his heroic knock.

Who will India face in semifinals?

With this win, India finished second in Group 1 to qualify for the semifinals, behind South Africa. In the semifinals, India will take on England on March 5 at the Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium, while South Africa face New Zealand at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on March 4.

Catch the live action of the T20 World Cup 2026 with the complete T20 World Cup 2026 Schedule, and the T20 World Cup 2026 Points Table. Also, know who are currently leading the charts for Most Runs in T20 World Cup 2026 and Most Wickets in T20 World Cup 2026.