You could see the bat swing

Former India captain Anil Kumble opined that Sanju Samson combated the threat of Jofra Archer in the T20 World Cup 2026 semifinal against England by looking to hit straight. Kumble added that Archer got his lengths wrong, which the Indian opener used to his advantage brilliantly.

Samson top-scored for the Men in Blue with 89 off 42 balls as India beat England by seven runs in the second semifinal of the T20 World Cup 2026 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday, March 5. Sent into bat, the defending champions posted 253-7 on the board and then held England to 246-7.

Samson had a tough time against Archer during the India-England home series in early 2025. The fast bowler dismissed the Indian batter thrice, overpowering him with pace and bounce. However, the opener was in complete control against Archer on Thursday, smashing him for boundaries with ease. During a discussion on ESPNcricinfo, Kumble analyzed the Samson-Archer duel and commented:

“I think the lengths that Archer bowled [was the difference]. It needs to be by the nose. Except for one ball, the line was wrong and then he [Samson] picked it up nicely for a six because the fine leg was up. But, what was really good about Samson was that he was looking to hit straight again.

“He played according to the merit of the ball and that’s how he exactly countered Jofra Archer. Because of the form that he is in, you could see the bat swing coming straight,” the former India leg-spinner added.

Samson struck eight fours and seven sixes in his stunning knock against England on Thursday. He was looking good for a hundred when he was caught at deep cover off Will Jacks’ bowling.

“One of the unbelievable knocks” – Faf du Plessis on Sanju Samson’s innings

Former South African captain Faf du Plessis praised Samson for not wasting his form and converting starts into impactful knocks. He described the keeper-batter’s innings against England in Mumbai as ‘unbelievable’. Du Plessis said:

“The worst thing you can do as a batter in form like that is lose your concentration and get a nice 20 and don’t play an impactful innings. He’s done that [got a big score] again in back-to-back innings. One of the unbelievable knocks.”

Before his scintillating 89 against England, Samson had scored 97* off 50 balls against the West Indies at Eden Gardens in Kolkata in India’s last Super 8 match of the T20 World Cup 2026.