Sanju Samson’s 89 Powers India To 253/7 Against England In T20 World Cup 2026 Semi-Final

Sanju Samson delivered an outstanding batting performance as India posted a challenging 253-run total against England in the second semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2026. The winner of this encounter will meet New Zealand in the tournament final scheduled in Ahmedabad on March 8.

England won the toss and opted to bowl first, but India capitalised on the batting conditions and ended their innings at 253 for seven

India lost their first wicket early in the innings when opener Abhishek Sharma was dismissed in the second over after scoring nine runs from seven balls. His early exit briefly slowed India’s start.

Despite the early blow, Sanju Samson quickly took charge and began attacking the English bowlers.

Samson built a crucial partnership with Ishan Kishan, with the pair adding 97 runs for the second wicket in just 45 deliveries. Their aggressive batting lifted India’s score to 117 and stabilised the innings.

Kishan contributed a quick 39 runs from 18 balls, hitting two sixes and four boundaries before losing his wicket.

Samson and Dube Continue the Momentum

Continuing his aggressive approach, Samson then combined with Shivam Dube to add 43 runs in 22 balls for the third wicket, pushing India’s total to 160.

The wicketkeeper-batter eventually departed after playing a brilliant innings of 89 from 42 balls, striking eight fours and seven sixes. Captain Suryakumar Yadav chipped in with 11 runs.

Shivam Dube maintained the attacking tempo and added useful runs with Hardik Pandya before being run out after a mix-up while attempting a quick single. Dube scored 43 runs from 25 balls with four sixes and one boundary.

Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma accelerated towards the end of the innings with aggressive strokes. Pandya scored 27 runs from 12 deliveries with two sixes and three fours, while Tilak Varma remained unbeaten on 21 from just seven balls, hitting three sixes.

England’s bowlers faced a tough outing as the Indian batters dominated the scoring. Will Jacks and Adil Rashid claimed two wickets each, while Jofra Archer took one wicket during the innings.

Archer conceded 61 runs in his four overs, and Sam Curran also proved expensive, giving away 53 runs in his full quota of overs.

Also Read: India vs England Semi-Final: England Bowl First After Winning Toss