T20 World Cup 2026: Sanju Samson equals Virat Kohli's record with sublime knock

Mumbai: India's wicketkeeper Sanju Samson played a blistering knock in the T20 World Cup 2026 semi-final against England on Thursday. He missed out on a century by just 11 runs at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Coming in as an opener, he scored 89 runs off 42 balls, including eight fours and seven sixes. Samson was dismissed by Will Jacks in the 14th over. He tried to hit a ball outside off stump over extra cover but was caught by Phil Salt. Samson had scored an unbeaten 97 in the previous Super 8 match against the West Indies, playing a key role in India's semi-final berth.

Didi Sanju Samson equal Virat Kohli's record?

Samson may have missed out on a century, but he did a remarkable job. He equaled Virat Kohli's record. He became the joint-highest scorer for India in a T20 World Cup knockout. Kohli scored an unbeaten 89 off 47 balls with the help of 11 fours and a six in the semi-final of the 2016 T20 World Cup. Meanwhile, Samson has entered the list of top 5 players with the highest innings in T20 knockouts. He has surpassed England's Alex Hales, who scored 86 runs in the semi-final against India in 2022. New Zealand's Finn Allen is the only cricketer to score a century in the tournament's knockouts. He did so in the semi-final against South Africa on Wednesday, taking New Zealand to the final.

Which are highest innings for India in T20 World Cup knockouts?

89* - Virat Kohli vs. West Indies, 2016 (semi-final)

89 - Sanju Samson vs. England, 2026 (semi-final)

77 - Virat Kohli vs. Sri Lanka, 2014 (final)

76 - Virat Kohli vs. South Africa, 2024 (final)

75 - Gautam Gambhir vs. Pakistan, 2007 (final)

72* - Virat Kohli vs. South Africa, 2014 (semi-final)

Who are top 5 scorers in T20 World Cup knockouts?

100* - Finn Allen vs. South Africa, Kolkata, 2026 (semi-final)

96* - Tillakaratne Dilshan vs. West Indies, The Oval, 2009 (semi-final)

89* - Virat Kohli vs. West Indies, Mumbai, 2016 (semi-final)

89 - Sanju Samson vs. England Mumbai, 2026 (Semi-Final)

86* - Alex Hales vs India, Adelaide, 2022 (Semi-Final)

How many partnerships did Sanju Samson forge?

Samson's blistering innings helped India post a historic total of 253/7. This is the highest total by any team in a knockout match. India, having lost the toss and opted to bat, had a poor start. Abhishek Sharma (9) lost his wicket in the second over. Subsequently, Samson shared a 97-run partnership for the second wicket with Ishan Kishan (39). Samson reached his half-century off just 26 balls. He shared a 43-run partnership for the third wicket with Shivam Dubey (43). Captain Suryakumar Yadav scored 11 runs, while Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma contributed 27 and 21 runs respectively.