India hero Samson eyes 'one more' big knock in T20 World Cup final / Photo: Punit PARANJPE - AFP
India hero Samson eyes 'one more' big knock in T20 World Cup final
Opener Sanju Samson said Thursday he wants "one more" match-winning knock to enable India to defend the T20 World Cup, after his 89 helped edge England in a thrilling semi-final.
India rode on Samson's 42-ball innings to post a mammoth 253-7, a total that England nearly chased down at Mumbai's Wankhede stadium, finishing on 246-7.
Jacob Bethell's brilliant 105 kept England in the hunt till the last over before Harry Brook's team fell short by seven runs and India marched into their fourth final in the T20 World Cup.
India will face New Zealand in Sunday's final in Ahmedabad as they attempt to become the first team to retain the trophy and the first to win it on home soil.
They could also become the first team to win the title three times.
Samson has been key to putting pre-tournament favourites India in this position after he struck form with an unbeaten 97 in a winner-takes-all contest against the West Indies on Sunday.
He kept up his form in the semi-final and struck eight fours and seven sixes to put India in the driver's seat.
"It feels really great. I have been actually for a few years trying to do something like this for my country," player of the match Samson said.
"So definitely I should be very grateful, but I kind of feel that we have one more step to go.
"If we do that, then I think all the work, everything was worth it. So I think that one more innings should be really good."
The 31-year-old Samson has been in and out of the Indian team and played just one group match against Namibia, when Abhishek Sharma was out with illness.
India brought back Samson in their Super Eights match against Zimbabwe to break up the all left-handed opening partnership of Abhishek and Ishan Kishan and he has not looked back since.
Samson, who made his debut in 2015, has played just 61 T20 matches for India.
Samson said the struggle to cement a place in the Indian team and the frustrations that came with it were tough but he shut out the noise by staying off social media.
"I wanted to make an impact and get into the XI of the World Cup here," said Samson.
"The people whom I love, they were with me. And I closed all my windows. I shut down my phone. I was not on social media.
"I am still not on social media. So less noise, less people interacting with me. So I think that really helped me to focus."
L.M.Domiano--LDdC
