India defeated West Indies by five wickets in the T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 match at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday to qualify for semifinals, where they will find England.
Decade later, roles reversed
10 years ago, West Indies had knocked India out in the semifinal of the 2016 T20 World Cup, chasing down 193 in the final over to break Indian hearts. When the two sides met again a decade later, the equation felt familiar. India needed 196 in Kolkata. This time, the roles flipped – India held their nerve in the last over to seal a place in the semifinal.
At the centre of that turnaround was Sanju Samson. Only a week earlier, he had been watching from the dugout with little sign of another opportunity in this tournament. But once drafted back into the XI, the task was clear: set the tone in a steep chase and make it count.
Samson did exactly that. Batting with fluency and intent, he took on the quicks, found the gaps, and kept India within reach of the target as the pressure mounted.
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His splendid, unbeaten 97 off 50 balls, with 12 boundaries and 4 sixes, anchored the chase and completed a decade-late reversal of fortunes against West Indies.
– Shankar Narayan
Varun’s throw of woe
It was a comedy of errors all around. Roston Chase pushed a length ball from Arshdeep Singh straight to Varun Chakaravarthy at cover and took off. It’s not West Indies’ regular opening partnership and clearly, captain Shai Hope was not on the page. Not on the same book even, as he watched where the ball was going and not his partner. Both of them got close to shake hands at the non-striker’s end. But Varun’s confusion overshadowed that of the West Indies batters’. He could have lobbed a simple throw to the wicketkeeper and Chase would have been well short. Instead, he fired it at the bowler’s end and even that was wayward. It gave Chase enough time to get back. Hands went on the head. Varun could scarcely believe his mistake, Chase his luck. And later in the over, the batter hit a couple of fours. Salt, meet wounds.
– Vinayakk M
Pressure built, chance dropped
The pause came at an odd but telling moment. After the first ball of the fourth over, Roston Chase called for medical attention. For India, it was almost a gift of time. West Indies had just taken 12 runs from the previous three balls and momentum was tilting fast. The short break allowed the fielding side to reset. When play resumed, the response was immediate and precise. India stitched together a disciplined sequence – dot balls squeezing the flow, the field tightening, the energy returning. Pressure, the kind bowlers thrive on, began to build again.
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Then came the moment that seemed inevitable. Jasprit Bumrah rolled his fingers over a clever slower delivery and Chase swung hard. The fat edge flew high over extra cover, hanging long enough to be taken comfortably.
But just when India seemed to have wrestled control back, the chance slipped through Abhishek Sharma’s hands – a dropped catch that undid nine deliveries of perfect cloying pressure.
– Shankar Narayan
Bumrah summoned to take out Shimron
In the first 10 overs as West Indies played risk-free cricket, you could see what was coming. With wickets in hand, they were setting up for a big assault in the second half. And India kept their trump cards in the shelves, in particular Jasprit Bumrah, who bowled just one over in the first 10 overs. But as soon as Shimron Hetmyer showed first signs of exploding, Suryakumar Yadav brought Bumrah back. His hard length and the angle has troubled the southpaw in the past who has a habit of swiping across the line even if the length isn’t right. It is what happened here, as an under-edge found Sanju Samson’s hands. Bumrah wasn’t done. Two deliveries later he outfoxed Roston Chase with a slower delivery.
– Venkata Krishna B
Powell’s over turns tide
At 119/3 after 14 overs, India felt in control. The early surge from West Indies had been absorbed, and the middle overs tightened like a vice. The fielders were chirpy, the bowlers measured. It was the sort of squeeze India have perfected in T20 cricket – patient, suffocating, clinical.
Arshdeep Singh has long been their banker in moments like these. Calm at the top, clever at the death. But T20 cricket is unforgiving, and even the most trusted hands can slip.
Rovman Powell sensed it. With the West Indies desperate for a spark, he chose aggression over caution. A colossal 98-metre six muscled over square leg. Another flicked over the boundary with disdain. A four threaded in between. Add five wides to the chaos, and suddenly 24 runs bled from the 16th over.
In six balls, the script flipped. What India wanted was control; what the West Indies found was a conundrum inducing momentum.
– Shankar Narayan
A day to forget for Abhishek
This T20 World Cup was supposed to be Abhishek Sharma’s stage – the tournament where his fearless strokeplay would light up India’s campaign. Instead,
on a night when India needed composure and sharpness, things seemed to unravel around him.
It began in the field. With India tightening the screws in the powerplay, Roston Chase miscued a chance that should have been a breakthrough. The ball went up, the opportunity clear, but Abhishek spilled it, allowing West Indies a reprieve just when the pressure had begun to mount.
Later, as the innings gathered pace, another moment slipped away. Rovman Powell, already looking dangerous, found a lifeline when another catch went down at mid-wicket. In T20 cricket, such moments can tilt games – and this one certainly felt costly.
When India began the chase of 196, they needed intent from the start, and Abhishek briefly hinted at it with two crisp boundaries. But the spark faded
quickly. Attempting a pull, he mistimed it and departed for 10.
A night that promised impact ended quietly – and painfully.
– Shankar Narayan
Sanju changes the gear
After India had lost Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan, the win predictor on the host broadcaster was 72-28 in favour of West Indies, as they chased 196. But in a matter of three overs, Sanju Samson would singlehandedly change the tide. With the run-rate hovering around 8, between overs 7-9, Sanju, woefully out of form a week back, would change the gears as India picked up 34 runs in those three overs. His 9 boundaries and 3 sixes to reach 74* (41), striking at 180 was keeping India afloat. Samson had gotten to his fifty as India were back in the game with the win predictor revising it to 51-49.
– Venkata Krishna B
