T20 World Cup: 'One More Innings Should Be Really Good'

'I have actually, for a few years, been trying to do something like this for my country.'

Having written about Sanju Samson from his young days and witnessed the relentless hard work he has put in during his growing-up days in Trivandrum, I asked him a question related to his past at the post-match press conference after his match-winning knock against England that placed Team India in the final.

Does he think all the hard work -- carrying his kit bag along with all his hopes to training grounds in Trivandrum -- has now been rewarded through these two knocks?

Sanju, who presents himself as calm as a monk though as dangerous as a thunderbolt when at the batting crease, candidly said: "Yes, it feels really great or really relieving that I have actually, for a few years, been trying to do something like this for my country. So I just waited with a lot of patience, a lot of inner work, a lot of training and a lot of practice. For that I am very grateful.

"But we have one more step (the final) to take. If we do that, then I think all the work, everything will be worth it. So I feel that one more innings should be really good."

Chetta has done it again

It is not once but twice that Sanju has emerged as India's match-winner. The margin of just a seven run win is enough to gauge the priceless value of his knock of 89.

The innings displayed his class, courage and crisp timing. The punch he packed into his shots made fans gasp and fielders stare helplessly.

Pulls, cuts and drives whistled to the boundary. Once again he proved that when the team wobbles, he stands like a pillar.

The crowd roared every time he launched a six towards them -- there were seven towering sixes along with eight boundaries -- and millions of Malayalis around the world would have proudly nodded and said, "Our Chetta has done it again."

No sale for nail cutters and negotiations with God

The India-England semifinal was undoubtedly an extremely intense match. So intense that fans were nervous even to wave their flags, as if any sudden movement might disturb destiny itself.

Those who survived the tense moments of this match can bravely claim that they have successfully undergone a full-scale cardiac examination.

Almost everyone would have bitten their nails so fiercely that for a long time nail-cutters are likely to remain unsold in Mumbai.

For a neutral observer this match may be termed as a run fest, but in reality it was a game where every run mattered and every dot ball was cheered like a wicket.

And while all this drama unfolded, some Indian fans were spotted negotiating with their gods -- prayers rising faster than the required run rate.

England's chase and fearless Bethell

England refused to play the role of polite guests. They fought like warriors despite the mammoth target staring at them. Their chase was brave and their shining warrior was the 22-year-old Jacob Bethell.

The manner in which he batted looked as if he had grown up skipping the chapter titled 'Pressure Situations'.

He cut, pulled, drove, reverse-swept and sent huge sixes soaring as if he was simply enjoying a Sunday evening net session.

He seemed to be having so much fun that Indian fans were forced to repeatedly glance at the scoreboard and feel butterflies performing acrobatics in their stomachs.

Patel signs England's exit papers

England zkipper Harry Brook was caught by Axar Patel running back towards the boundary with his eyes glued to the ball sailing over his head.

He completed it with a full-length dive that would have made even professional goalkeepers or Olympic divers nod in admiration.

One could not help but wonder whether Patel had magnets hidden in his palms. His catch at the boundary to dismiss Will Jacks -- sprinting like a man chasing the last local train in Mumbai, then balancing near the rope, and then tossing the ball to Shivam Dube before landing outside the boundary -- was sheer brilliance.

That moment probably turned the match. In many ways, it was Patel who calmly signed England's exit papers from this World Cup.

Vande Mataram to Vande Bharat

Only after the last ball was bowled did Indian fans start to wave their flags. So tense were they with nervousness. Seven runs separating a heartbreak from joy tells it all.

Team India made sure that the whole of India slept well, though most journalists, including myself, had to rush back to take the 6 am Vande Bharat train to Ahmedabad for the final.

As we were leaving to catch Vande Bharat, a few fans were celebrating India's victory singing Vande Mataram.

• T20 World Cup 2026

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff