New Delhi, March 2 India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah was adjudged the ‘Impact Player of the Match’ after a decisive spell helped India maintain the West Indies to a chaseable target before Sanju Samson’s unbeaten 97 helped the defending champions secure a crucial victory in their T20 World Cup clash on Sunday at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Bumrah returned figures of 2/36 from his four overs. While the numbers may not fully reflect his influence, the timing of his breakthroughs proved pivotal. In the 12th over of the innings, with the West Indies looking to accelerate, Bumrah struck twice, removing the dangerous Shimron Hetmyer and Roston Chase, to derail the Caribbean side’s momentum and tilt the contest firmly in India’s favour.
His ability to deliver in pressure situations once again underlined why he remains India’s go-to bowler in crunch moments. The twin strikes not only stemmed the flow of runs but also exposed the middle order, allowing India to tighten the screws in the death overs.
Presenting the medal, India’s fielding coach T Dilip lauded the team’s collective intensity while singling out Bumrah for his composure in decisive phases.
“Brilliant stuff, brilliant effort, well done. We're a gun team and today we showed with our intent what it means to be that. That's what the play was today. Today's game reminds me of my favourite quote: "The strength of the team is each individual, and the strength of each individual is the team." Today we represented that through care and belief everytime we did that. Outstanding efforts. The impact player goes to someone who owns the big moments most of the times with his calm face and deadly execution. He's none other than Jasprit Bumrah,” he said while presenting the medal to the pacer.
Bumrah, in turn, credited his teammates for holding their nerve during the chase and ensuring India crossed the line without panic, as he said, “Thank you so much. Special mention to Dube as well, the two fours that he hit didn't let the pressure come into our team. So yeah, special mention to him. Tilak also played a great knock, not taking away anything from him but yes, come the big day we're off to get together and hopefully do well in Mumbai. Cheers.”
India’s batting unit had its moments of anxiety, but crucial contributions, including late boundaries that eased scoreboard pressure, ensured the target was achieved without major hiccups. Tilak’s composed knock in the middle phase also kept the innings on track after early setbacks.
With this win, India continued their strong run in the tournament, showcasing both bowling discipline and batting depth and secured their place in the semi-final, where they’ll meet England on Thursday at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
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