With England needing 69 runs to win from 30 balls, the game was in the balance. However, Bumrah held his nerve and conceded just 14 runs off his last two overs to help the defending champion eke out a nervy win at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
“Very happy how the team turned up today, and all credit goes to Jasprit Bumrah. I think the world class bowler, once in a generation bowler, I think that’s what he delivered today. This (award) should go to him. If he didn’t bowl that way in the death overs, I think I would not be standing here,” Samson said in the post-match presentation.
Samson, who scored an unbeaten 97 against West Indies in India’s do-or-die Super Eight match, said he wanted to make the most of his rich vein of form and deliver under pressure.
“I kind of knew that I got some form going from the last game, so I thought I needed to continue. I think it’s not easy to find form in crucial games for your country, so I thought I needed to make the most out of how I’m batting. I gave myself extra time. I calculated my innings a bit. I prepared really well, and I think things came off nicely. Got a bit lucky to start off and then I just wanted to carry on.”
Though he has now narrowly missed out on a hundred in two consecutive games, Samson said he wasn’t disappointed.
“You can’t actually score a hundred. It actually comes in the process. It’s not a Test game, it’s not an ODI game, where you can go up and down, up and down. Once you’ve got the start and you’re batting first, there is no other way. You just have to keep going hard, hard, hard. And once you end up on the right side, who knows, I think, how many runs I’m getting. So, I’m very happy to get whatever I’m getting and very happy to contribute for my country.”
Published on Mar 05, 2026
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