SANJUSATIONAL INDIA

Wicket-keeper batter rises to the occasion once again to help India overcome England

- GOMESH S @Mumbai

SANJU Samson and Ishan Kishan were wiping sweat off their faces, having a laugh with Rinku Singh near the strip. It was a well-earned drinks break for Samson and India as the scoreboard — in the semifinal of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup — read 67/1 after six overs.

Just before he picked up his helmet and walked back, Samson looked up a little, said his prayers just like he did after taking India across the line in Kolkata on Sunday night.

No one could blame him. It had been that kind of a start to the innings for him. Samson cracked Jofra Archer open in the very first over with a short-arm pull and a hook. However, opening partner Abhishek Sharma got out to Will Jacks. And then he gave a straightforward catch off Archer to England captain Harry Brook, who put it down. It seemed like the luck he needed so badly in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup was finally with him. If one had kept track of the New Zealand T20Is, where he opened, they would have almost felt sorry for him. Through the five matches, he could not get a break and was tested by the high-end pace of Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson. An outswinger here, a hard length there and a miscue in another game.