Sanju Samson’s father, Samson Vishwanath, broke down after his son’s unbeaten 97 vs West Indies in the T20 World Cup 2026, a match-winning knock that secured India’s semifinal spot and silenced critics, fulfilling his prayers for his son’s success.
Team India wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson’s father became emotional after his son’s match-winning performance in the Men in Blue’s final Super 8 fixture against the West Indies sealed the team’s place in the T20 World Cup 2026 final, keeping their title defence hopes alive.
Samson grabbed the spotlight at the Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata as his brilliant unbeaten knock of 97 off 50 balls helped Team India chase down a 196-run target with four balls to spare in the final over. His match-winning innings consisted of 12 fours and 4 sixes, and he batted at an impressive strike rate of 194, as India kept their title defence hopes alive.
This was Samson’s third outing in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026, having previously played against Namibia in the group stage and Zimbabwe in Super 8, scoring 22 and 24, respectively, before producing a match-winning knock against West Indies.
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‘Prayed to God to Save my Son’s Honour’
As Team India is set to take on England in the second semifinal of the T20 World Cup 2026 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, a video went viral on social media where Sanju Samson’s father, Samson Vishwanath, became emotional over his son’s match-winning knock in the final Super 8 fixture against the West Indies.
Samson Vishwanath broke down in tears while he was speaking about Sanju’s heroic performance in India’s must-win clash against the West Indies and revealed that he was praying throughout the match for his son to succeed.
“From 6 in the morning till the end of the match at night, I prayed to God to save my son’s honour. Now this day has come in front of him,” Sanju’s father said in an interview.
“I have been praying since morning. Till the end of the match. I didn’t call anyone. I didn’t communicate with anyone,” he added.
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There was an uncertainty whether Sanju Samson would feature in India’s playing XI after his poor performances in the five-match T20I series against New Zealand. However, the Kerala cricketer silenced the critics with his sensational unbeaten 97 against the West Indies, delivering when it mattered most and guiding India into the semifinals of the T20 World Cup 2026.
Sanju Samson Likely to Feature in Semifinal
With the stakes as high as they are, Team India is aiming to seal their berth in the final. Sanju Samson is expected to retain his place in the playing XI for the crucial semifinal against England, especially after his match-winning knock against the West Indies boosted the team’s confidence ahead of the knockout clash.
Samson is likely to open India’s innings alongside Abhishek Sharma, whose form has been a major cause of concern, and Ishan Kishan will bat at No.3. There is unlikely to be any change in India’s batting line-up from the final Super 8 match against the West Indies, with skipper Suryakumar Yadav expected to continue at No.4, while Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube provide stability and firepower in the middle order.
Samson is expected to hog the spotlight as his match-winning knock against the West Indies has seemingly boosted his confidence ahead of the high-stakes semifinal clash against England at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Samson has provided explosive starts in the powerplay in his previous three outings, and he will look to replicate that impact against England as India aims to secure a place in the T20 World Cup 2026 final.
In the T20 World Cup 2026, Samson has aggregated 143 runs, including a fifty, at an average of 71.50 and a strike rate of 195.89 in three matches.
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