Sanju Samson said that Jasprit Bumrah was the real contender for the Player of the Match award after India defeated England by seven runs in the T20 World Cup semifinal on March 5 at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Samson, who scored a superb 89 off 42 balls with eight fours and seven sixes, was given the award for his innings that helped India reach the final.
Despite receiving the honour, Samson believed Bumrah deserved the recognition for his crucial performance during the death overs. Bumrah ended with figures of 1 for 33 in four overs as India successfully defended a total of 253 on a high-scoring pitch in Mumbai.
Samson praised Bumrah as a rare talent and said the fast bowler’s calmness under pressure played a key role in the victory. He added that without Bumrah’s impact at the end of the innings, he likely would not have been standing there accepting the award. Samson said he was pleased with the team’s overall effort and credited the bowlers for believing in themselves and performing in difficult conditions.
Bumrah started his spell by removing Harry Brook and conceded only seven runs in his opening over. When he returned in the 11th over, Jacob Bethell and Will Jacks managed to hit two boundaries off him, resulting in 12 runs in the over.
He later came back into the attack with England needing 69 runs from 30 balls and once again delivered a tight spell. In the 16th over, he gave away just eight runs, increasing the required run rate significantly. He followed it with another controlled over in the 18th, conceding only six runs and putting India in a strong position. Although Shivam Dube conceded 22 runs in the final over, Bumrah’s disciplined spell proved decisive in helping India defend their total.
So far in the tournament, Bumrah has taken 10 wickets in seven matches with an economy rate of 6.62. He will aim to maintain that form when India faces New Zealand in the final on March 8 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
