India vs West Indies, Super 8 - Match 12 Match Summary

The final four are here - It all came down to the final Super Eights game to seal the last semifinal spot in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. India, South Africa, England, and New Zealand are the four sides left standing, each having fought tooth and nail to stay in the hunt. The teams will get a couple of days’ break before the knockout stage kicks off. The action begins with the first semifinal, as South Africa and New Zealand face off at Eden Gardens on Wednesday, 4th March with the first ball scheduled to be bowled at 1.30 pm GMT. The second semifinal sees defending champions India going up against England at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, on Thursday, 5th March with the first ball set for 1.30 pm GMT. But do make sure to join us for all the pre-match build up and analysis a lot in advance. See you then. Take care, cheers!

The victorious Indian captain - Suryakumar Yadav expresses immense pride in his team for treating this high-stakes clash as a do-or-die quarter-final and advancing to the semi-finals. He reserves special praise for Sanju Samson, asserting that this match-winning inning is just a reward for his character and relentless hard work. Surya explains that the decision to chase was a tactical one, as the team felt confident chasing any total near 200, given the dew factor and the venue's reputation. While acknowledging the upcoming semi-final against England, he insists the squad will savour the moment before shifting focus upon landing in Mumbai. He concludes by emphasizing that his side is encouraged to remain courageous and play their natural game, noting that maintaining one's approach is the best way to handle the inevitable pressure and butterflies of a key game.

The captain of West Indies - Shai Hope reflects on the defeat. He says that their total of 195 was perhaps slightly below par, especially on a ground suited for chasing. He admits the batting start was not ideal and that the team could have pushed a bit harder in the final overs. Still, he feels reaching 190-plus gave them some hope. He also praises Sanju Samson for his composed innings, noting that 190-odd remained a workable target, though a few extra runs at the back end might have helped. Hope singles out Jasprit Bumrah as a key threat, noting that whenever he has the ball in hand, something is likely to happen. He highlights Bumrah’s role in breaking the partnership at a crucial stage when Shimron Hetmyer was in good form, saying that if Hetmyer had continued, he could have posted another big score. Hope describes Bumrah as one of India’s key bowlers who steps up when needed, making it a decisive moment in the game. Reflecting on the West Indies’ bowling throughout the tournament, Hope says the team had adapted well to different conditions, including matches in Mumbai and Kolkata. He praises Matthew Forde for his work with the new ball, Akeal Hosein for taking early wickets, and the spinners for controlling the middle overs. Praises Gudakesh Motie, who returned to the team and performed strongly. Overall, Hope feels the bowling unit had been on song, but they were ultimately unable to get over the line in this match. Regarding the disappointment of exiting before the semifinals, Hope says the team never wants to bow out at this stage. He credits the players for their efforts but underlines that the goal in any tournament is always to win. Adds that with high standards for themselves and strong opposition, the team must play consistent, high-quality cricket and capitalize on key moments. In this game, he admits, they fell short, while India performed better and secured their place in the semifinals.

... It is time to hear from the captains ...

West Indies had runs on the board - Choosing to bowl first, India let early chances slip, missing a run-out and putting down a couple of catches as well. The lifelines proved costly as the West Indies openers settled in nicely. Varun Chakravarthy broke the stand in his first over, but Shimron Hetmyer’s fearless approach kept the momentum firmly with the visitors. With things threatening to drift, Suryakumar Yadav turned to his trump card, Jasprit Bumrah, who struck twice in the space of three balls to pull things back. The scoring dipped briefly, but a late flourish from Jason Holder and Rovman Powell, in a breezy 76-run alliance in the death overs ensured West Indies finished on a high.

They tried hard, but it wasn't to be - West Indies came in with the comfort of defending a huge total. In high-pressure, do-or-die matches like this, 195 can feel like an extra 15 to 20 runs psychologically. Yet, their bowlers struggled to find the penetration in the middle overs, a phase where West Indies had usually been so effective. As dew started settling in deeper into the chase, controlling line and length became increasingly difficult, leading to several full tosses that the batters eagerly punished. Overall, the bowlers couldn’t operate as a cohesive unit this time, and that’s where the match slipped away.

A touch of history - Coming into this clash, India carried a kind of embarrassing record when it came to chasing totals above 160 in T20 World Cups. They had managed it only three times, with Virat Kohli being the top scorer in all of those innings. India needed someone to step up to break that cycle and it was Sanju Samson, who not only scored the highest individual score by any Indian in the T20 World Cup, but stayed till the end and got the job done for the team, fittingly hitting the winning runs as well.

Sanju to the rescue - With his last T20I half century coming way back in the Asia Cup of 2025, against Oman, Sanju Samson's form was seriously under the scanner. He was guilty of not converting his 20s and 30s into substantial scores. But as they say, when you hit rock bottom, the only way is to go up, Samson did just that. He compiled a composed and responsible half-century, building pivotal partnerships first with Tilak Varma (of 42 runs) and then with Hardik Pandya, adding 38 runs, which kept India firmly afloat in the chase.

An anxious start - India got off to a sloppy start in what was a massive run chase of 196 to get through to the semis. Abhishek Sharma's underwhelming run continued with the bat as he was fished out early, and with Kishan too gone cheaply, India were pegged back at 41/2, pushed back for a huge rebuild. The challenge was to not get into a defensive shell and also prevent the asking rate from getting out of hand. At halfway, India were 97/2 with the partnership between Sanju and SKY brewing nicely along.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH -  Sanju Samson deservingly receives the award for his unbeaten 97 off 50 balls, an innings he describes as deeply significant following a career of fluctuating fortunes and personal doubts. He credits his success to years of hard work and the invaluable experience gained from observing stalwarts like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli during his decade-long association with the national team and also from playing in the IPL. Samson explains that he remained focused solely on his specific role, taking the chase one ball at a time without anticipating such a spectacular outcome. He concludes by acknowledging that while internal what-if anxieties persisted, the unwavering support from his teammates helped him overcome those mental hurdles to deliver this match-winning contribution.

India clinch semi-final berth - India secure a five-wicket victory over the West Indies in this high-stakes encounter. In a high-pressure chase of 196, the Indian batters displayed remarkable composure and intent, successfully hunting down the target to keep their title defence alive. This clinical win ensures India’s progression to the semi-finals, where they are now set for a blockbuster showdown against England at the iconic Wankhede Stadium.

FOUR! SANJU SAMSON DOES IT FOR INDIA! The Men in Blue are through to the semifinal of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, 2026. The roar at Eden Gardens is deafening. Sanju Samson drops to one knee in pure relief, gazes up at the heavens, and exhales a long, contented sigh. It’s another full-length delivery around middle, Sanju Samson gets forward and lofts it over mid on for a boundary. Even without getting it perfectly off the middle, he gets enough on it to clear the leaping fielder. INDIA WIN BY 5 WICKETS!

SIX! THAT IS A MIGHTY HIT! Shepherd misses his yorker and pays the price, slipping in a full-length delivery angled at the leg-stump line. Sanju Samson steps in and unleashes a beautiful whip, sending it soaring over mid-wicket with authority. SCORES ARE LEVEL.

Sanju Samson will be on strike at the start of the last over. 7 runs needed off the final over. Romario Shepherd will be bowling it.

Two leg byes! Good running. Full and angled at the pads, Shivam Dube fails to flick it away as he plays all around the line and wears on the front pad. The ball then trickles through the vacant mid-wicket region. With no fielder there, Shamar Joseph himself dashes across to chase the ball, but by then, the batters cross each other twice.

FOUR! Into the single digits now! Joseph goes for the yorker, but misses it and slips in a full toss outside off. Shivam Dube blasts it past the point region for a cracking boundary.

Very full, outside off, Dube squeezes it out to point. No run. Precious dot ball.

A boundary first up from Dube and it eases the nerves in the crowd. 13 now needed off the last 9 balls.

FOUR! What a shot! Sheer muscle power from Dube. Just shows how little the margin of error is. A low full toss on middle. Shivam brings the bottom hand to play and whips it powerfully between deep mid-wicket and long on for a boundary.

Shivam Dube walks out next in the middle for India. Still 17 needed off the last 10 balls.

OUT! CAUGHT! Another twist and Holder ensures that there is no error this time around. Joseph misses his yorker, delivering a low full toss angling at the off stump line. Hardik Pandya, deep in his crease, shuffles slightly and lifts his front leg, aiming to heave it on the leg side. He can’t get under it and shuts the bat face early. Gets it sliced towards extra cover where Holder holds on to it.

A dot to kick off the 19th. Over the wicket, Shamar fires in a yorker that tails in and follows Hardik Pandya. Deep in his crease, Pandya does well to clear his front leg, but can’t squeeze it out.

Shamar Joseph to bowl the penultimate over.

India need 17 runs off the last 2 overs to win this contest. We might see one of the two go big in this over.

On a length around off, Hardik Pandya flicks this towards deep mid-wicket for a single to close the over.

Low full toss, on middle and leg, Sanju Samson tucks this through mid on for a single.

FOUR​​! Sanju Samson, at it again. Back of a length wide of off, Sanju Samson hangs onto the back foot and cuts this through the backward point region for a boundary.

A tad too full, on middle and leg, Hardik Pandya flicks this through the square leg region and takes one.

Wide yorker, outside off. Hardik Pandya looks to get bat on ball but fails to do so.

Slower one, yorker on off, Sanju Samson tucks this through mid-wicket for a single.