The second semi-final of the ongoing T20 World Cup turned into a night of fireworks at the iconic Wankhede Stadium as Sanju Samson played one of the most explosive innings of the tournament. Sanju Samson scored 89 runs in just 42 balls and took India to a mammoth score of 253/7 against England.
Later, India successfully defended the target and made it to the final. The Indian wicketkeeper-batsman attacked the England bowlers from the very beginning. Even Samson has put England’s fast bowler Joffra Archer under pressure with his fearless intentions.
Sanju Samson breaks Rohit Sharma’s record in the semi-finals of T20 World Cup 2026
This was his second consecutive big performance after playing an inning of 97* runs against West Indies in the Super 8 stage match. In just four innings in the tournament, the right-handed batsman crossed the 200-run mark and hit 16 sixes, breaking Rohit Sharma’s record of most sixes as an Indian in a T20 World Cup edition.
Also read: When Harry Brook called him the villain for England’s defeat to India, Sanju Samson was also dragged in.
With his innings, Sanju equaled Virat Kohli’s record of the highest score by an Indian batsman in a T20 World Cup knockout. Kohli had scored 89 runs on the same ground in the semi-final against West Indies in 2016.
Shoaib Akhtar talks openly about Samson’s long struggle in India
Following his remarkable efforts against New Zealand that took the defending champions to the final of the T20 World Cup 2026, Pakistan pace great Shoaib Akhtar spoke with the Men in Blue about Samson’s long and arduous journey. He pointed out that the Kerala star had to wait for years because the team already had big names like MS Dhoni in the wicketkeeper’s role.
Shoaib Akhtar said in a Pakistani TV show, “Sanju Samson has been in the circuit since 2014. In those days, I used to work in India. He was very popular in 2015. He waited for a long time because of the keepers. Dhoni, then Karthik, then Pant. Then, constant selection and dropping. Even now, Gambhir worked hard for Sanju’s selection.”
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Gautam Gambhir faced criticism for bringing back Samson: Shoaib Akhtar
Akhtar also gave full credit to India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir for bringing Samson back into the team. Despite criticism and intense debate over his selection, Gambhir strongly supported Samson and pushed for his place in the playing eleven. Now that decision is paying off in the biggest way possible.
Rawalpindi Express said, “Today, if Sanju is in the Indian team, the entire credit goes to Gambhir. Gambhir strongly supported him and fought to get him into the team. Sanju’s selection did not come easily; it happened after a lot of criticism and pressure. Gambhir played a major role in pushing for his inclusion despite all the debate over his selection.”
Shoaib Akhtar on Sanju Samson
Shoaib says that due to many keepers, Sanju Samson’s name was nowhere but Gautam Gambhir fought and brought Sanju Samson into the team. pic.twitter.com/Y97Z0Qrlz2
– Venky Mama (@venkymama100) 6 March 2026
Sanju Samson happy with match-winning impact for India
Meanwhile, Samson missed out on scoring a century on both the occasions in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026. But the Indian wicketkeeper-batsman was not worried about missing out on the feat. Sanju said that he is happy to contribute to India’s win and is happy with whatever he is scoring.
“I think not at all. I think 100. I think, you know, 100 really. You can’t really score a century. It really comes down to your process – you really can’t; it’s not a Test game, it’s not an ODI game where you can go up and down. Once you’ve got the start, you’re batting first. There’s no other way. You just have to,” Samson said after the semi-final. Have to keep working hard.”
