Kapil Dev INSULTS Sanju Samson, refuses to acknowledge his heroics vs WI

Kapil Dev refuses to comment on Sanju Samson's 97*: India have made their way through to the semi-final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 after beating West Indies by 5 wickets in a virtual quarter-final last Sunday, at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. The India National Cricket Team would be facing the England National Cricket Team in the semi-final at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday, March 5, 2026.

Ahead of the semi-final, former India captain Kapil Dev has shared his views on the team’s performance last weekend, expressing his congratulations and support to the Men in Blue ahead of their all-important clash.

I want to wish the Indian team all the best - Kapil Dev

Speaking to ANI News ahead of India's first professional golf league, The League final, PGTI President Kapil Dev was also asked about Sanju Samson's remarkable performance against the Windies. He also replied, focusing on the fact that cricket is a team game and does not rely on individual performances.

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Kapil Dev on Sanju Samson: “It’s About the Team, Not Just One Individual”#KapilDev #PGTI #GolfIndia #72TheLeague #MyKhel pic.twitter.com/pwtDCODxvU

— myKhel.com (@mykhelcom) March 3, 2026

Kapil Dev told myKhel, "It's for the team. Good luck to the team, not to one individual. And I want to wish the Indian team all the best. Now we are very close to the championship, and I want to wish them luck."

Sanju Samson stepped up on a big occasion

Sanju Samson played a brilliant knock of 97* of 50 balls against the Caribbean nation at the Eden Gardens. He stood from the very beginning of India’s run chase of 196. He also scored the winning runs for the side by smashing a four after one run was required off five balls.

Sanju Samson’s iconic knock of 97* was the highest ever individual score made by an Indian batter in the T20 World Cup run chase. As Sanju surpassed the record of former India captain Virat Kohli, who had scored 82 runs twice in a 160+ run chase.

The knock also saw India record the most successful run chase in T20 World Cup history. This was only the fourth time that 160+ runs were chased down. The other times it was chased down when Virat Kohli was part of the T20I side.

Record breaker Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson also created a record for himself, as it was the first time in 29 innings while opening the batting in a run chase in T20Is or the Indian Premier League (IPL) that the wicketkeeper-batter remained unbeaten till the end of the innings.

The 31-year-old batter has looked in good touch in the two games he featured before this big knock. However, despite getting the starts, he could not convert them into a big score. However, he chose a bigger occasion for India when the qualification was on the line.

West Indies put up a target of 195/4 in their 20 overs with contributions from Roston Chase (40), Hope (32), Shimron Hetmyer (27), and an unbeaten 76-run partnership between Jason Holder (37*) and Rovman Powell (34*).

India, while chasing, had contributions from Suryakumar Yadav (18), Tilak Varma (27), Hardik Pandya (17), and Shivam Dube (8*), helping India to achieve the target with four balls to spare.

Also Read: South Africa vs New Zealand semi-final result announced by Faf du Plessis, Anil Kumble