'It's all his hard work that he was doing when he wasn't playing and now he's got the fruit.'
Key Points
- India skipper Suryakumar Yadav praised Sanju Samson's performance against the West Indies, attributing it to his hard work and patience.
- Sanju Samson's unbeaten 97 was crucial in India's successful chase of 196 runs.
- India will face England in the semifinal at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium.
- West Indies skipper Shai Hope acknowledged his team was short on runs and praised Samson's innings.
Skipper Suryakumar Yadav on Sunday said opening batter Sanju Samson got the reward for his hard work with an unbeaten 97 against the West Indies, adding that India deserved to be in the semifinals of the T20 World Cup.
India beat the West Indies by five wickets to set up a last-four date with England, to be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on March 5.
"Obviously it's a great feeling. It was like a quarterfinal game. The way the boys showed character, it was a great thing," Suryakumar told the broadcaster after the match.
"I always say good things happen to good people who wait. It's all his hard work that he was doing when he wasn't playing and now he's got the fruit," he replied when asked about Samson's innings.
"The way we played from the first game, I think we deserve to be there in Mumbai. But we won't think of it now. We will take the flight, get to Mumbai and see what to do. When there is no pressure, there is no pressure."
The dew factor
Suryakumar said India wanted to take the game deep as they knew the dew factor would assist them in the steep chase. India overhauled the target of 196 in 19.2 overs.
"I feel everyone bowled according to the plans. We knew 200 is always a good score to chase. The ball comes on to the bat nicely because of the dew and our plan was to take the game deep."
Hope blames poor death overs with bat
West Indies skipper Shai Hope said his side was a few runs short, adding that they did not have a great start.
"Maybe a few (runs) short, especially on a chasing ground such as this. Probably (we) could have gone a bit more (hard) at the end. Sanju played a really good innings as well, have to give him credit. But it would have been good if we got a few more runs," Hope said.
He said the West Indies players adapted well to different conditions in the tournament.
"The way we adapted to different conditions, got to give the guys credit. Specially bowling in the Powerplay. Akeal (Hosein) was very good, (Gudakesh) Motie as well once he came back in the team."
"Just couldn't get over the line today. You never want to end at this stage. One more game and we'd be in the semis and things go well and you're in the final for the big one," he added.
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