Sanju's 97 not out, seals India's semifinal berth, down WI by 5 wickets

Perpetually under scrutiny, Sanju Samson rose above the noise to produce a match-winning 97 not out as India defeated West Indies by five wickets in their T20 World Cup Super-Eights match to reach the semifinals on Sunday. Asked to bat, West Indies executed a clear attacking blueprint as they rode on Roston Chase’s foundation before unleashing a late assault by Rovman Powell (34 not out; 19 balls) and Jason Holder (37 not out; 22 balls) to post an imposing 195 for 4.
In front of a packed Eden Gardens, Kolkata, with over 65,000 in attendance, Sanju stood tall on a night when India’s in-form batters faltered under pressure. His magnificent knock helped India reached 199 for 5 in 19.2 overs. Abhishek Sharma (10 off 11 balls) endured a forgettable outing and also survived two dropped catches, while Ishan Kishan (10 off 6 balls) also got out cheaply.Sanju brought the scores level in the 19th over by heaving Romario Shepherd’s attempted yorker high over square leg for a towering six.
India will now lock horns with England in a high-stakes semifinal in Mumbai on Thursday. After the West Indies unleashed a brutal finish, scoring 70 runs off the final five overs to post 195/4, India faced an uphill task in their chase but stayed comfortably ahead of the required rate despite losing two early wickets.Despite the strong chase, India had earlier been let down by fielding lapses, dropping three regulation catches, including one off Chase when he had just
15.