India, March 1 -- Abhishek Sharma was dismissed early. Ishan Kishan joined him in the dugout soon. Skipper Suryakumar Yadav made just 18. Tilak Varma chipped in with 27. But India never worried because Sanju Samson was in a mood.

His 97* off 50 balls was an instant classic and took India into the semi-final with a five-wicket win over West Indies at Eden Gardens on Sunday night. An innings that showed why Samson's talent is recognised as special.

For so long, Samson's temperament has been questioned. But on the biggest of stages, in a must-win game, he showed what he is all about.

"It means the whole world actually to me," said Samson after the game. "Right from the day I started playing, started dreaming to play for the country, I thi...