1 March 2026. Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
Socho ek cinematic scene, jaise Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham mein Shahrukh Khan boarding gate par khada hota hai ready, determined, aur andar se aag lagi hoti hai. Kuch aisa hi mahaul tha Eden Gardens mein.
66,000 log stadium mein, warm evening, partly cloudy sky….Aur ek target jo dekhne mein almost impossible lag raha tha. Easy nahi hote 196 runs in 20 overs.
India ne toss jeeta aur bowling choose ki. Captain ne socha pehle dekhte hain West Indies kya karta hai. Thoda risky decision tha. Thik vaise jaise Rohit Shetty ki film mein hero villain ko pehle mauka deta hai.
West Indies ne uss mauke ka full use kiya aur scoreboard par 195 runs laga diye.
West Indies Innings Summary
West Indies ki batting shuru mein controlled thi. Jaise film ka slow build up. Lekin middle aur death overs mein unhone pura momentum change kar diya.
- Shai Hope ne anchor ka role play kiya. 32 runs off 33 balls. Thoda slow tha par innings ko structure diya.
- Roston Chase ne 40 runs off 25 balls maare aur run rate ko stable rakha.
- Shimron Hetmyer ne aate hi attack start kar diya. 27 runs off 12 balls.
- Lekin asli damage last overs mein hua.
Rovman Powell aur Jason Holder ne milke final overs mein India ki bowling ko attack kiya. Powell ne 34 off 19 aur Holder ne 37 off 22 runs banaye.
Last 5 overs mein West Indies ne 76 runs add kiye. Suddenly total 195 ho gaya jo T20 World Cup pressure match mein kaafi bada score lag raha tha.
West Indies Batting Scorecard
| Batsman | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | SR | Dismissal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shai Hope | 32 | 33 | 3 | 1 | 96.97 | Bowled Varun Chakravarthy |
| Roston Chase | 40 | 25 | 5 | 1 | 160.00 | Caught Bumrah |
| Shimron Hetmyer | 27 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 225.00 | Caught Bumrah |
| Sherfane Rutherford | 14 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 155.56 | Caught Hardik Pandya |
| Rovman Powell | 34 | 19 | 3 | 2 | 178.95 | Not Out |
| Jason Holder | 37 | 22 | 2 | 3 | 168.18 | Not Out |
| Extras | 11 | |||||
| Total | 195/4 | 20 Overs |
India Bowling Figures
| Bowler | Overs | Runs | Wickets | Economy |
| Arshdeep Singh | 4 | 43 | 0 | 10.75 |
| Hardik Pandya | 4 | 40 | 1 | 10.00 |
| Axar Patel | 4 | 35 | 0 | 8.75 |
| Jasprit Bumrah | 4 | 36 | 2 | 9.00 |
| Varun Chakravarthy | 4 | 40 | 1 | 10.00 |
India’s Response
India ko chase karna tha 196 runs. Required run rate lagbhag 9.8 runs per over tha. Pressure clearly visible tha.
- Abhishek Sharma jaldi out ho gaye. Sirf 10 runs.
- Ishan Kishan ne quick 10 runs banaye par woh bhi zyada der nahi tik paaye.
- Suryakumar Yadav se expectations zyada thi par woh bhi 18 runs bana kar out ho gaye.
- Tilak Varma ne thoda momentum diya. 27 runs off 15 balls.
Hardik Pandya ne bhi 17 runs bana kar partnership maintain ki.
Lekin ek player crease par shuru se end tak khada raha aur vo tha: Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson One Man Against All Odds
Sanju Samson ne iss match mein jo innings kheli woh sirf ek batting performance nahi thi. Woh ek statement thi.
- 97 runs not out
- 50 balls
- 12 fours
- 4 sixes
- Strike rate 194
India ke wickets girte rahe. Pressure badhta gaya. Lekin Sanju crease par calm rahe.
- Jab Abhishek out hua Sanju crease par tha
- Jab Ishan gaya Sanju crease par tha
- Jab SKY out hua Sanju crease par tha
- Jab Tilak gaya Sanju crease par tha
- Jab Hardik bhi out hua Sanju crease par tha
Ek taraf wickets gir rahe the. Dusri taraf Sanju match ko control kar rahe the.
India Batting Scorecard
| Batsman | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | Strike Rate | Dismissal |
| Abhishek Sharma | 10 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 90.91 | Caught Hosein |
| Sanju Samson | 97* | 50 | 12 | 4 | 194.00 | Not Out |
| Ishan Kishan | 10 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 166.67 | Caught Holder |
| Suryakumar Yadav | 18 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 112.50 | Caught Joseph |
| Tilak Varma | 27 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 180.00 | Caught Holder |
| Hardik Pandya | 17 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 121.43 | Caught Joseph |
| Shivam Dube | 8* | 4 | 2 | 0 | 200.00 | Not Out |
| Extras | 12 | |||||
| Total | 199/5 | 19.2 Overs |
West Indies Bowling Figures
| Bowler | Overs | Runs | Wickets | Economy |
| Akeal Hosein | 2 | 22 | 1 | 11.00 |
| Matthew Forde | 3 | 22 | 0 | 7.33 |
| Jason Holder | 4 | 38 | 2 | 9.50 |
| Gudakesh Motie | 2 | 18 | 0 | 9.00 |
| Shamar Joseph | 4 | 42 | 2 | 10.50 |
| Roston Chase | 2 | 18 | 0 | 9.00 |
| Romario Shepherd | 2.2 | 34 | 0 | 14.57 |
Historic Moment
Ek important statistic iss match ko aur special banata hai.
T20 World Cup history mein pehli baar India ne 180 plus target successfully chase kiya.
195 ka target. T20 World Cup pressure. Eden Gardens ka stage. Aur India ne chase complete kiya.
Is victory ke saath India ne tournament ke semifinals mein apni jagah confirm kar li.
Final Result
India won by 5 wickets.
Target chased in 19.2 overs.
Sanju Samson 97 not out ke saath match finish karte hue India ko semifinals tak le gaye.
Sanju Samson Post Match Statement
Match ke baad Sanju Samson ne interview mein kaha:
“I’ve seen the greatest of the games Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma play and do their job. I might’ve played around 60 games but I’ve watched them for many more matches and learned from them. I was waiting for this day since my debut. It’s the best day of my life.”
Yeh statement Sanju ki humility aur unki journey ko reflect karta hai. Years of patience, observation aur hard work ka result aaj Eden Gardens mein dikha.
India ke liye yeh sirf ek match win nahi thi. Yeh ek memorable night thi jahan ek player ne pressure situation mein extraordinary innings khel kar team ko semifinals tak pahunchaya.
Lucky Raina is a complete cricket writer chasing corporate dreams by day and cricket stories by night. Once a promising Under 16 cricketer, life took him down a different pitch but the love for the game never left.
One Response
Nice 👍