Player of the Match Sanju Samson sealed victory with a boundary as part of an unbeaten 97 off 50 balls as India beat West Indies by five wickets with four balls remaining to set up a ICC T20 World Cup 2026 semi-final against England.
Roston Chase top-scored with 40 as West Indies reached 102-1 at one point, with India indebted to Samson’s brilliance – playing his third match at the tournament – on their way to their highest-ever total at the finals.
Rovman Powell hit 34 and Jason Holder 37, with both players not out against victors who secured the Group 1 runners-up position behind South Africa.
T20 World Cup: How Kohli and Sharma inspired Samson
“It means the whole world to me,” said Samson, via BBC Sport. “From the day I started playing, this is the day I was waiting for.
“I have had a special journey and doubted myself at times, but I kept believing. I have been playing this format for a long time, learning from the greats like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
“It is important to observe. I never felt I would do something like this. This is one of the greatest days of my life.”
T20 World Cup semifinals: India to face England
Captain Suryakumar Yadav said his side deserved a semi-final place because of their performances throughout the tournament.
“Expectations will always be there,” added Yadav. “But you should know what you want to do on the field. I told the same thing to the boys.
“There will be pressure, there will be expectation from a lot of people coming to the ground or watching back home.
“But when a game like this comes, you have to be courageous, bring your A-game, put your best foot forward and take a positive option.
“We were quite good in taking that [against West Indies]. If there’s no pressure, there’s no fun.”
India vs West Indies teams
India: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh
West Indies: Shai Hope (c & wk), Roston Chase, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Jason Holder, Matthew Forde, Akeal Hosein, Gudakesh Motie, Shamar Joseph
What’s next? India T20 cricket World Cup fixtures
India are next in World Cup action in that semi-final at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Thursday (13:30 GMT).
Here are their results at the tournament so far.
| Date | Stage | Opponents | Result | Margin |
| Feb 7 | Group Stage | USA | Won | 29 runs |
| Feb 12 | Group Stage | Namibia | Won | 8 wickets |
| Feb 15 | Group Stage | Pakistan | Won | 4 wickets |
| Feb 18 | Group Stage | Netherlands | Won | 72 runs |
| Feb 22 | Super 8 | South Africa | Lost | 76 runs |
| Feb 26 | Super 8 | Zimbabwe | Won | 72 runs |
| Mar 1 | Super 8 | West Indies | Won | 5 wickets |
India ICC T20 World Cup 2026 squad
Suryakumar Yadav (c), Axar Patel (vc), Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Rinku Singh
West Indies ICC T20 World Cup 2026 squad
Shai Hope (c & wk), Johnson Charles (wk), Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Gudakesh Motie, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Quentin Sampson, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd
