Sanju Samson Breaks T20 World Cup Record: It was a Sanju Samson special on Sunday evening as India took on West Indies, eyeing a T20 World Cup semi-final berth from a virtual quarter-final clash. They were tasked with chasing a massive 196-run target, which combined with tournament pressure, upped the ante. While Abhishek Sharma, their usual star batsman, continued his slump and an in-form Ishan Kishan fell early, it was Samson on the other end, who took the chase in his stride, finishing the match, and setting high standards.
His inning not only won India the match, but also broke a long-standing record by one of the Men in Blue’s modern era greats. Here’s what the top 3 highest scores by an Indian while chasing in the T20 World Cup look like now.
Most Runs Chasing In A T20 World Cup Inning
Sanju Samson broke Virat Kohli’s record of the most runs scored by an Indian batsman while chasing in the ICC T20 World Cup. He scored 97 off just 50 deliveries, resetting the record books.
1) Sanju Samson – 97 off 50 vs West Indies, 2026
2) Virat Kohli – 82 off 51 vs Australia, 2016
3) Virat Kohli – 82 off 53 vs Pakistan, 2022
Although Kohli’s record has been broken, the fact that it stood for this long goes to show just how much of an impact he had in the last decade.
India Secure Record Chase
This succesful chase of 196 runs is also India’s biggest at any T20 World Cup thus far.
Prior to this match, they record was held by the 174-run target the Men in Blue had chased down all the way back in 2014 against South Africa.
The next two highest chases came against Australia and Pakistan, who had set targets of 161 and 160 respectively. In both matches, Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 82 proved decisive, making him the highest-scoring Indian in a T20 World Cup run chase for the time being.
