Former Indian cricket team captain and current president of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), Sourav Ganguly, called Sanju Samson’s match-winning 97*-run innings “outstanding” and hailed him as a “very good player” after the wicket-keeper batter helped Team India reach the semis of the T20 World Cup 2026 by defeating West Indies in a must-win Super 8s clash. Sanju Samson scored an unbeaten 97 off 50 balls, helping India chase down a competitive 196-run target to guide Suryakumar Yadav’s side to a five-wicket win in a do-or-die clash of the ongoing World Cup.
“Outstanding. He’s a very good player. He should consistently play for India in the white-ball,” Ganguly told ANI.
The former Indian skipper said that Samson has the skill to hurt the opposition once he gets set and played according to the situation on Sunday.
“You know, when he gets in, he’ll hurt the opposition. He played to the situation which is important,” Ganguly added.
Ganguly also praised the resilience shown by Samson to shut out the critics and return to the side.
“What it teaches all of us is that the same boy could not find in the last six months, could not find his place in the team, either there was Ishan Kishan opening or somebody else coming in. Just before the World Cup, I used to go through media headlines that said Sanju fails again, he should not be deserving a place in the side, India has so much talent, why is not Shubman Gill in the side and yet here is a boy in a quarterfinal game, gets 97 and takes you to the semifinal,” said Ganguly.
India will face England in the semi-final on March 5 in Mumbai at the Wankhede stadium.
