They say life rewards the most persistent. And that definitely was the case with Sanju Samson. So much has gone on around him. Was his side's first-choice opener, then lost form, got dropped. When Gill came in, he was booted down the order and then dropped. Come the T20 World Cup time, Samson was not even a starter. It needed India to lose badly to South Africa in Ahmedabad for them to bring him back. Imagine what Samson must have gone through.
Often you could see him alone and keeping to himself in the dugout with a little smile on his face. But when the chance came, he has made it count. His talent was never in question, but his temperament was. He put that all to bed tonight with a magnificent knock in a high-pressure game. Just hanging in there in life sometimes is just enough. Well done Samson! And he would hope this is just the start to realising his large potential.
A Sanju Samson special has seen India book their spot in the semis. It's at the Wankhede where they will face England. That should be a great game especially if dew doesn't come in. The other semis is between New Zealand and South Africa at Ahmedabad. Both should be crackers.
The tournament now takes a break for two days. We will be back on 4th March for the 1st semi-final.
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