Sanju Samson surpasses Virat Kohli’s greatest T20 World Cup knockout knock in India vs England semifinal
Sanju Samson continued his excellent form in the T20 World Cup semifinal between India and England. As soon as Jofra Archer started bowling the first over, Samson did not look like a batter who was starting to play. Samson looked like he was already in form and in rhythm, like he was continuing his excellent knock from the last game against West Indies.
Jofra Archer has troubled Samson many times in T20Is, but Samson started well in this game. Samson hit two fours in the first over bowled by Archer and gave India a quick start. Will Jacks had earlier given the ball to Abhishek Sharma, but Sanju Samson was continuing his attacking game. He was hitting attacking shots against Will Jacks. Sam Curran was also hit for two boundaries. By the end of the powerplay, Sanju Samson had made 41 runs out of the 20 he faced.
In the eighth over, Sanju Samson also made his fifty by hitting Liam Dawson for a six. This was his first time he was hitting two consecutive fifties in T20 internationals. Sanju Samson was calm and continued his game. Later on, Adil Rashid got Ishan Kishan out, but Sanju Samson was continuing his game. He also hit two sixes off Jofra Archer's bowling. He was at 89 runs.
At this time, it seemed that Sanju Samson was going to get India close enough to win the game. However, Will Jacks again took the ball and got Sanju Samson out. Sanju Samson was out on 11 runs short of his century. Though Sanju Samson was not out with a century, the people at the Wankhede Stadium gave him a standing ovation as Suryakumar Yadav came in to bat. This was a very good innings for India in the semifinals.
Highest Score for India in T20 World Cup Knockout Matches
| Rank | Player | Score | Opponent | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sanju Samson | 89 (42) | England | Wankhede | 2026 |
| 2 | Virat Kohli | 89 (47)* | West Indies | Wankhede | 2016 |
| 3 | Virat Kohli | 77 (58) | Sri Lanka | Mirpur | 2014 |
| 4 | Virat Kohli | 76 (59) | South Africa | Bridgetown | 2024 |
| 5 | Gautam Gambhir | 75 (54) | Pakistan | Johannesburg | 2007 |
Highest Scores in T20 World Cup Knockout Matches
| Rank | Player | Score | Opponent | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finn Allen | 100 (vs South Africa)* | South Africa | Kolkata | 2026 |
| 2 | Tillakaratne Dilshan | 96 (vs West Indies)* | West Indies | The Oval | 2009 |
| 3 | Virat Kohli | 89 (vs West Indies)* | West Indies | Mumbai | 2016 |
| 4 | Sanju Samson | 89 (vs England) | England | Mumbai | 2026 |
| 5 | Alex Hales | 86 (vs India)* | India | Adelaide | 2022 |
