'Sanju! Sanju!' chants echo around Wankhede as Samson smashes fifty; Sunil Gavaskar reacts: 'Look at what it has done...'

Sanju Samson continued his brilliant form in the semifinal of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 as he scored a quickfire half-century for India against England at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Samson reached his fifty in just 26 balls in spectacular fashion. He smashed England spinner Liam Dawson for a huge six over extra cover to bring up the milestone, sending the crowd into celebration.

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The moment became even more special as fans inside the stadium started chanting “Sanju! Sanju!” while the batter celebrated his knock. It was another important innings from Samson, who has been in excellent form in recent matches.

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Gavaskar lauds Samson

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar was full of praise for Samson during live commentary on Star Sports. He highlighted how the batter’s confidence has grown after his previous innings in the last Super 8 game.

“It was an amazing shot once again, a man in form. Just one innings. Look at what it has done to the confidence of Sanju Samson. This is not an easy shot. Getting a six over extra cover is never easy and he has hit it into the first tier,” Gavaskar said.

Samson had already shown his form in the previous match against the West Indies, where he scored an unbeaten 97 in a must-win game for India. Interestingly, he was not even part of the playing XI at the start of the tournament.

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The wicketkeeper-batter got his opportunity after Abhishek Sharma fell ill during a group-stage match. Later, Rinku Singh also had to leave the squad briefly to attend his father’s funeral, which gave Samson another chance in the lineup.

Samson also had a bit of luck during his innings as he was dropped earlier by Harry Brook off the bowling of Jofra Archer. However, the Indian batter made full use of that opportunity and went on to play another crucial knock for his team in the high-pressure semifinal.

Samson was eventually dismissed by Will Jacks for 89 off 42 balls, which included eight boundaries and seven sixes. However, he has already done the damage and England will need a miracle to recover from here.