India must play their “best game” to beat England says Gautam Gambhir
The India head coach looks ahead to the semi-finals
India head coach Gautam Gambhir hopes his team can play their “best game” as they meet England in the final four of the T20 World Cup.
India’s win over the West Indies have led them into a semi-final clash against the Three Lions at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Thursday.
Sanju Samson stole the spotlight for the reigning champions in their winner-takes-all Super Eights clash against the West Indies on Sunday, hitting an unbeaten 96 to guide his team to a successful chase of a challenging 196 runs.
Samson featured in just one group-stage match, against Namibia, where he scored 22, as India largely relied on the left-handed opening duo of Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma.
He was recalled for the previous Super Eights clash against Zimbabwe to add a right-handed presence at the top of the batting order.
The 31-year-old justified Gambhir’s decision to reinstate him, earning praise from the head coach for his outstanding performance following the win over the West Indies.
"We all know how good a player Sanju is," Gambhir said in the post-match press conference.
"It was all about backing him and when the team needed him the most. Obviously today (Sunday) was the day when he probably showed his full potential.
"I have always said that he is a world-class player. He is a great talent and hopefully he can kick on from now and we can see a lot more innings like this."
England will be a new challenge for India, the team led by Harry Brook have been one of the tournament’s most impressive sides as they have combinied big individual performances with resilient team displays to reach the semi‑finals.
Brook’s standout innings came against Pakistan in the Super Eight stage booked their place in the last four. The Englishman smashed an exceptional 100 off 51 balls, becoming the first captain in T20 World Cup history to score a century while leading his team and steering England to a dramatic two‑wicket win.
"Look, they're a world-class team, they're a quality team, they've got a lot of quality players as well," Gambhir told AFP.
"We all know that playing at the Wankhede is a tough game, but it's another opportunity to do something special for the team and for the country.
"Hopefully we play our best game, that is going to be very important and we can keep ticking all the boxes."
