Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI:Former Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir has found himself at the centre of social media criticism after his bold prediction about India backfired. Amir had earlier claimed that India would fail to reach the semifinals of the T20 World Cup. However, India silenced doubters with a commanding five-wicket win over the West Indies in their virtual quarterfinal at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday. Powered by Sanju Samson’s unbeaten 97, India sealed a semifinal berth in style.But Amir has now reignited debate with another strong statement, asserting that India still won’t make the final.
“India complete cricket nahi khel rha. India final nahi kehelega ]India are not playing complete cricket. India will not play the final],” Amir said.Elaborating further, he said: “My semifinal analysis was correct, but Sanju Samson played really good cricket. Still, I feel India is not playing complete cricket yet, apart from Jasprit Bumrah, not a single bowler is in form. Just look at their batting, in almost every match, they keep suffering collapses. The semifinal against England will be a good contest, but I am sure India will not play the final.”SAMSON MASTERCLASSAfter winning the toss, India opted to bowl first. West Indies openers Roston Chase (40 off 25, five fours and a six) and captain Shai Hope (32 off 33, three fours and a six) gave their side a solid start with a 68-run opening partnership. However, the innings lost momentum as they slipped to 119/4 in 14.1 overs, despite a quickfire 27 off 12 balls from Shimron Hetmyer.A late surge from Jason Holder (37* off 22, two fours and three sixes) and Rovman Powell (34* off 19, three fours and two sixes) saw the pair add 76 runs in just 35 balls, pushing West Indies to 195/4 in 20 overs.Jasprit Bumrah (2/36) was India’s most effective bowler. Varun Chakaravarthy and Hardik Pandya picked up one wicket each, conceding 40 runs apiece in their four overs.Chasing 196, India stumbled early and were 41/2 inside the powerplay. Samson steadied the innings with a 58-run stand alongside Suryakumar Yadav (18). He then built crucial partnerships with Tilak Varma (27 off 15), Hardik Pandya (17) and Shivam Dube (8*), guiding India to victory with five wickets in hand.SAMSON SURPASSES KOHLISamson’s 97* is now the highest individual score by an Indian in a successful T20 World Cup run-chase. He surpassed Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 82 against Australia in Mohali (2016) and Pakistan in Melbourne (2022).Across the IPL and T20Is, Samson has opened the batting 29 times in run-chases, and this was the first time he remained unbeaten till the end.The chase of 196 is India’s highest in T20 World Cup history, eclipsing their 173-run chase against South Africa in Mirpur in 2014. With the win, India secured a record-equalling sixth semifinal appearance in T20 World Cup history, matching Pakistan (2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2021, 2022) and England (2010, 2016, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2026).Samson’s knock is also the second-highest individual score by an Indian in T20 World Cup history, behind Suresh Raina’s 101 against South Africa in Gros Islet in 2010.
