Sanju Samson had taken a step back, resigned to make his way to the pavilion. It was a fuller delivery from Jofra Archer and the opener chipped it a bit early, not allowing it to climb as much as expected.

Harry Brook had been offered a dolly at mid-on and was comfortably placed beneath the ball. A sudden hush descended on the Wankhede green as the full house had their hearts in their mouths.

Samson was carrying the momentum from his ma­tch-winning Eden Gardens knock and seemed destined for another superlative innings when Archer forced a wrong shot. As Samson waited for Brook to complete the catch before turning back, the ball hit the England captain’s palm, popped out, and fell straight to the ground.

The opener almost offered another silent prayer, this time for being able to survive on 15.

Archer, England’s trump card and Samson’s perceived nemesis, was left battered and bruised as he gave away 61 runs in four overs.

Samson had sounded England’s death knell with his intent and reckless batting to instill fear in the English minds from the outset. His 89 off 42 balls almost sealed England’s fate even before they came out to bat.

The power he generated was awesome, while timing and precision were exemplary. The way he cut Archer over point for a six was reminiscent of Sachin Tendulkar’s similar shot off Shoaib Akhtar in the 2003 World Cup.

Samson was in control right through. When Sam Curran bowled a slower ball, he had the time to check his shot and then whip it over mid-on.

The opener thrives on momentum. The last time he had been in such rollicking form was in October-November 2024, when he hit three centuries in five innings.

There seemed to be a perception in the England camp that Samson can’t handle genuine pace. His struggles against Archer during the series last year — 51 in five innings — perhaps generated such a perception. Samson was out to squash such logic with disdain. The stats were quite damning in this innings — he scored 38 off the 14 balls he faced from the pacer with three boundaries and four sixes.

Standing deep in his crease to allow him enough time for the big shots, he started off by smacking him beyond mid-on and followed it up by pulling over fine-leg for six as he banged it short.

In Archer’s next over, Samson was at it again, as if to prove a point and never allowed him any breathing space. His ‘high-risk high-gain’ formula had singed England’s hopes.