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Kapil Dev refuses to comment on Sanju Samson’s 97*: India reached the semi-finals of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup after defeating West Indies by 5 wickets in the virtual quarter-final at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Sunday. The Indian national cricket team will take on the England national cricket team in the semi-finals at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday, March 5, 2026.
Ahead of the semi-finals, former India captain Kapil Dev shared his thoughts on his team’s performance over the weekend, expressing his congratulations and support for the Men in Blue ahead of an important match for the Men in Blue.
I wish the Indian team all the best – Kapil Dev
Speaking to ANI News ahead of the final of India’s first professional golf league – The League, PGTI Chairman Kapil Dev was also asked about Sanju Samson’s outstanding performance against the Windies. He also responded by emphasizing that cricket is a team sport and does not depend on individual performance.
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Kapil Dev on Sanju Samson: “It’s the team that matters, not just one person”#KapilDev #PGTI #IndiaGolf #72 Alliance #MyKhel pic.twitter.com/pwtDCODxvU
— myKhel.com (@mykhelcom) March 3, 2026
Kapil Dev told myKhel, “This is for the team. Good luck to the team, not to individuals. I want to wish the Indian team all the best. Now we are very close to the title and I want to wish them good luck.”
Sanju Samson stands up for important occasions
Sanju Samson scored a brilliant 50-ball 97 against Caribbean Nations at Eden Gardens. He stood firm right from the start of India’s 196-run chase. He also scored the winning points for his team by hitting 4 runs when 5 balls were needed.
Sanju Samson’s iconic knock of 97* was the highest individual score by an Indian batsman in a T20 World Cup run chase. Sanju surpassed the record of former India captain Virat Kohli, who scored 82 runs twice in a 160+ run chase.
The collision also saw India record the most successful run chase in the history of the T20 World Cup. This is only the fourth time that 160+ runs have been tracked down. Other times, when Virat Kohli is part of the T20I side, it is chased.
Record Breaker Sanju Samson
Tri-State Samson also created a record for himself by being the first in 29 innings of T20Is or Indian Premier League (IPL) to open the batting in a run-chase when a wicketkeeper-batsman remained unbeaten until the end of the innings.
The 31-year-old batsman had looked in fine touch in the two games before this big knock. However, despite getting the start, he failed to convert the score into a big one. However, with qualification on the line, he chose a bigger occasion for India.
West Indies set a target of 195/4 in 20 overs with contributions from Roston Chase (40), Hope (32), Shimron Hetmyer (27) and an unbeaten partnership of 76 between Jason Holder (37*) and Rovman Powell (34*).
Chasing, the contributions of Suryakumar Yadav (18), Tilak Varma (27), Hardik Pandya (17) and Shivam Dube (8*) helped India reach the target with 4 balls remaining.
Also read: Faf du Plessis and Anil Kumble announce South Africa vs New Zealand semi-final results
