Twenty four hours ahead of their make-or-break encounter at Eden Gardens, Hardik Pandya delivered an earnest pep talk to the players in the team huddle.
The all-rounder spoke about intensity, taking pride in each other and providing ample entertainment while laying stress on performing as a team and not as individuals in their hour of reckoning.
Sunday provided the right opportunity and they showed their love for the full house, soaking in the pressure and exhibiting the right approach.
If intent was what India needed in their chase of 196, Sanju Samson showed enough to prove his class on the big stage. Ignored for the first half of the tournament, his return to the side has coincided with a turnaround in fortunes since the blip against South Africa.
It was mainly because of his hunger for runs that India managed to dismiss the threat posed by the West Indies attack. Samson made it a night to cherish with his range of shots as India galloped in the Powerplay and the middle overs. The five-wicket victory and a semi-final berth finally came with four balls remaining.
When the moment arrived, he sunk to his knees while offering a silent prayer. “It means the world,” said an emotional Samson. “Right from the day I started playing, this is the day I was waiting for.”
Samson’s 170-plus strike-rate right through negated the threat posed by slow
left-arm orthodox Akeal Hosein and wrist spinner Gudakesh Motie.
With an unbeaten 97 off 50 balls, an innings worth more than a century, Samson has revived his tumultuous career. The utter disdain with which he whipped Romario Shepherd over mid wicket for a six and followed it up with a boundary sparked wide celebrations in the dressing room.
Tactical mistake
The West Indies’ ploy to open the attack with Hosein didn’t pay off even as Abhishek Sharma struggled with his timing and Suryakumar Yadav wasn’t in his elements.
But all that didn’t matter to Samson. He was playing in a different league, piercing the infield and finding openings in the outfield. It was a brutal assault and he showed nerves of steel in a virtual quarter-final.
The regular fall of wickets at the other end had no impact and the run-rate always remained under control. Shamar Joseph started off with Surya’s wicket with his second ball but Samson quickly got into the act to dismiss any perceived threat.
Even Shimron Hetmyer’s stunning catch to get rid of Tilak Varma mattered little as Pandya returned to the middle — following an inspired bowling spell — to get the 55 needed off 32 balls in the company of Samson.
It was Samson’s night, but Pandya’s passionate plea a day earlier seems to have turned the team on.
