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Español'He'll hurt the opposition': Sourav Ganguly's big statement on Sanju Samson
Samson smashed an unbeaten 97 off 50 balls as India chased down a stiff 196-run target to secure a five-wicket victory in the do-or-die encounter, guiding Suryakumar Yadav’s men into the last four.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Ganguly heaped praise on Samson and underlined that the Kerala batter deserves consistent opportunities in India’s white-ball setup.
"Outstanding. He's a very good player. He should consistently play for India in the white-ball," Ganguly said.
With both India and West Indies tied on points in the Super 8 standings, the Kolkata fixture effectively turned into a knockout, with the winner advancing to join South Africa, New Zealand and England in the semifinals.
India’s victory set up a last-four clash against England on March 5.
Ganguly termed the India-West Indies encounter a virtual quarterfinal and lauded Samson’s composure, stressing how dangerous he can be once he settles in.
"You know, when he gets in, he'll hurt the opposition. He played to the situation which is important," Ganguly added.
Looking ahead to the semifinal against England, the former India skipper noted that the Three Lions would pose a tougher challenge than West Indies.
In the match itself, India won the toss and opted to field. West Indies openers Roston Chase (40 off 25 balls, five fours and a six) and captain Shai Hope (32 off 33 balls, three fours and a six) added 68 for the first wicket. However, despite a quickfire cameo from Shimron Hetmyer (27 off 12 balls, one four and two sixes), the hosts slipped to 119/4 in 14.1 overs.
A late onslaught from Jason Holder (37* off 22 balls, two fours and three sixes) and Rovman Powell (34* off 19 balls, three fours and two sixes) saw the duo stitch together a 76-run stand in just 35 balls, lifting West Indies to 195/4 in their 20 overs.
Jasprit Bumrah (2/36 in four overs) was India’s standout bowler, while Varun Chakaravarthy and Hardik Pandya claimed one wicket each, conceding 40 runs apiece in their four-over spells.
In reply, India were rocked early, reduced to 41/2 inside the powerplay. A 58-run partnership between Samson and Suryakumar Yadav (18) steadied the innings and revived the chase. Samson then combined effectively with Tilak Varma (27 off 15 balls, four boundaries and a six), Hardik Pandya (17) and Shivam Dube (8*) to guide India home with five wickets in hand, sealing a memorable win and a semifinal berth.
Arsenal break 1 Spurs record & eye another
Arsenal achieved the earliest ‘St. Totteringham’s Day’ in history on Sunday, but the Gunners still have one more record to try and break in the final nine games.
Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
As covered early last week, Arsenal had the opportunity to confirm their earliest-ever finish over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, excluding seasons where the two clubs didn’t play in the same division.
The Gunners needed either a win over Chelsea, or for Spurs to fail to beat Fulham. In the end, Arsenal didn’t need to wait until their 16:30 kick-off, with Spurs themselves losing to confirm their failure to finish above the Gunners.
That result made March 1st the new record earliest date of ‘St. Totteringham’s Day’, the day invented by Arsenal fans for when they confirm a finish above their north London rivals.
But it also meant the Gunners achieved the feat with 10 games to play, a joint record shared with the 2003/04 ‘Invincibles’ side. Sky Sports rounded up the previous earliest dates in the graphic below:
Arsenal still have one more north London rivalry record in their sights, with the Gunners having the chance to achieve their greatest-ever points difference over Spurs at the conclusion of the season.
The current record stands at 45 points, again achieved by the 2003/04 team playing under Arsene Wenger.
Mikel Arteta’s side sit 35 points clear of Spurs, having played a game more. So it’s still possible for Arsenal to finish 46+ points ahead of Igor Tudor’s side, but both teams will need to keep picking up the same kinds of results they have been for the remainder of the campaign.
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Arsenal’s primary focus is obviously on winning trophies, and they’ll value a Premier League title far more than a record-breaking finish above Spurs.
But given the way to achieve those two ends is just to keep winning matches, there’s no harm in hoping for both.
The Portland Trail Blazers and Chris Youngblood have …
Michael Scotto: The Portland Trail Blazers and Chris Youngblood have agreed to a two-way contract, league sources told @hoopshype . Youngblood appeared in 32 NBA games with Oklahoma City Thunder. In the G League with the OKC Blue, he averaged 20.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.2 steals
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: The Portland Trail Blazers and Chris Youngblood have …