Yesterday’s match was “kyu hila ke rakh daala na” on field.
In what turned out to be a virtual quarterfinal of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, India defeated the West Indies by five wickets on Sunday at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. This victory propelled India into the semi-finals and established India’s highest successful run chase in T20 World Cup history.
INDIAAAAAA in its prime aa gaya OYEEEEE!
The West Indies scored 195 runs (4 wickets) in their allotted 20 overs, while India successfully chased down the target in 19.2 overs, scoring 199 runs (5 wickets). Just as importantly, the match consisted of excellent individual play, some terrific strategy, and several nail-biting moments during the course of the match that will live well beyond the final score.
West Indian Innings
Although the West Indies came out with the intention to
score quickly, they never quite got away with it.
Kyu hume flower samjha kya, hum fire hain.
Shai Hope was the anchor for the beginning part of the innings, but did not hit out very well. He scored 32 runs off of 33 deliveries, which left West Indies looking for the boundaries they needed because he consumed 33 total deliveries without providing any pressure with boundaries.
Axar Patel was used smartly in the powerplay versus Shai Hope for India. Axar only allowed Shai 15 runs on 13 balls during his bowling spell, prior to Varun Chakravarthy dismissing him.
Although West Indies were in an excellent position at 68 runs and 1 wicket in 8.5 overs, they just could not generate any momentum.
Shimron Hetmyer brought urgency as he struck sixes early on, continuing his six-hitting spree through this tournament. He put West Indies in a good position with his aggressive hitting, but India’s decision to save Jasprit Bumrah for the twelfth over proved key.
Bumrah pulled a ‘prime Bumrah’ move by taking the wicket of a set batter who had scored 27 off 16 balls and then taking another key wicket. He had a phenomenal spell, taking 2/36 and putting a stop to West Indies’ scoring in the middle overs, at a time when, after 12 overs, they were 103/3 and needed a strong finish to their innings.
The innings was then stabilised by Roston Chase, who scored 40 off 25 balls, rotating the strike and targeting loose balls. Towards the end of the innings, Jason Holder and Rovman Powell launched a late onslaught, Holder had some much-needed boundaries, while Powell delivered one of the biggest hits of the evening, A massive six of 98m off of Arshdeep Singh!
West Indies managed to take 26 runs from the 18th and 20th overs combined, but they also faced a disciplined over from Arshdeep, preventing them from scoring any boundaries and holding them to below 200 runs.
PUNJABI aa gaye OYEEEE
West Indies’ total of 195/4 was competitive, but they may have left about 10-15 runs on the field, based on the platform they established during the mid-overs.
India’s Chase: Early Wobbles Under Pressure
With a required chase of 196 runs in a knockout-style match, patience would be essential for India.
India started off in great form. The openers attacked the new ball and made sure that the run rate would not go out of control in the initial parts of the innings. However, the energy quickly shifted against them with two wickets lost during the powerplay, including injuries to Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma. At this point, the West Indies had a glimmer of an opening as the Indian team now found themselves at 41-2.
After another wicket fell shortly, after this the pressure continued to build. Up until that moment, Eden Gardens had been an electric atmosphere filled with noise, but at that moment it fell into a hush.
That is when Sanju Samson stepped into the breach.
Aah, the man of the hour!
Sanju Samson’s 97 anchored the successful chase
Initially, Sanju Samson wasn’t a first-choice opening batsman for India at the beginning of the tournament; however, due to tactical reasons for Team Management, he was given the opportunity to open in this high-pressure match against West Indies, and against all odds, he produced one of the best innings of his T20i career.
This is what we call kismet.
Samson built his innings by making smart decisions at the crease. He did not take unnecessary risks with poor shot choices; instead, he focused on high percentage shots during his innings. Also, he took on Akeil Hosein with the sweep or lofted drives to throw the spinner off his rhythm.
Samson reached his fifty runs in just 26 balls, only the second time in his last 13 T20i innings that he scored a half-century. Throughout his innings, Samson kept pace with the required rate by not allowing the required run rate to reach panic levels.
Samson scored an unbeaten 97 runs from 50 balls in leading India to a successful chase. This was the first time in his T20i career that he opened the batting and completed a successful chase not out. Therefore, Samson fell just three runs short of what would have been a well-deserved century. But humare liye to ye 97 hi 100 tha.
India achieved victory by finishing with a total of 199 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in their 20 overs.
The moment that said “the world is healing”
Upon hitting the winning runs, Sanju Samson didn’t do anything crazy like celebrate, though it would have been a valid crashout.
Rather, he went down on one knee, took off his helmet, lifted his head up to heaven, clasped his hands together, outstretched his arms, and made the sign of the cross.
In doing so, he created a moment that seemed to rise above religious boundaries. He brought together symbols associated with Christianity, gestures familiar in Hindu practice and a posture of surrender that many associate with Islamic prayer.
Everyone was emo at that moment, and it felt like the world is healing.