India National Cricket Team vs England Cricket Team: Sanju Samson produced a stunning knock of 89 runs off 42 balls for the India national cricket team during the second semifinal of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 against the England cricket team at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday, March 5, 2026. Opening the innings, Samson played an attacking innings that included eight fours and seven sixes. The 31-year-old from Kerala dominated the England bowlers before being dismissed on the first ball of the 14th over.
Samson attempted to go for a big shot off spinner Will Jacks but was caught by Phil Salt, falling just short of a century.
Despite missing out on a hundred, Samson’s knock equalled the record for the highest score by an Indian batter in a knockout match of the T20 World Cup. The record was previously held by Virat Kohli, who scored an unbeaten 89 against the West Indies cricket team in the semifinal of the ICC T20 World Cup 2016 at the same venue in Mumbai.
Samson’s innings now stands among the top performances in T20 World Cup knockout matches. The highest score in such matches belongs to Finn Allen, who struck an unbeaten 100 from 33 balls for the New Zealand national cricket team against the South Africa national cricket team in the first semifinal of the 2026 tournament in Kolkata.
Other notable performances in knockout matches include 96 not out by Tillakaratne Dilshan for Sri Lanka in the 2009 semifinal, 86 not out by Alex Hales for England in the 2022 semifinal against India, and 85 not out by Marlon Samuels in the 2016 final.
Samson’s attacking innings added another memorable chapter to India’s batting effort in the semifinal clash.
