This is the day I was waiting for – Sanju Samson on his match-winning knock against West Indies

Sanju Samson played the knock of a lifetime, staying unbeaten with 97 runs from just 50 balls, earning India the all-important bragging rights in the last game of the Super Eights and helped the Men in Blue lock their spot in the T20 World Cup 2026 semifinal.

Samson hung in till the very end and in what was a poetic finish to the high-octane chase, he delivered the killing blow to take India to the semi-finals.

Winning the Player of the Match award for his sizzling performance with the bat, Sanju Samson opened up on the overall knock, underlining what it meant to him. He graciously shared how clarity helped him sculpt the perfect knock under immense pressure.

Talking at the post-match presentation, Sanju said, “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. And very grateful, very thankful. And I’ve always had a very special journey with lots of ups and downs, but I’ve kept on doubting myself, kept on thinking, what if, what if, can I make it? can I make it? But I kept on believing and thanks to the Lord Almighty for actually blessing me today. So I’m very happy.”

Emphasizing the importance of clarity and experience, Samson added, “Yeah, I think that’s why I have been playing this format for a very long time. I think playing IPL around 10 to 12 years and playing for the country from last 10 years, I have not been playing, but looking from the dugout, learning from the greats like Virat Kohli, from Rohit Sharma, like all the greats.”

He concluded by saying, “I think it’s very important to observe and learn and see what they were doing. I think that really helped me to, I think with my experience, 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.”