IND Vs WI: Will Sanju Samson Open Tonight’s T20 World Cup Super 8 Clash? Sanjay Bangar Breaks It Down

India can't ignore the Sanju Samson factor. His opening salvo in the must-win Super Eight game against Zimbabwe at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, on Thursday gave the defending ICC T20 World Cup champions the head start they needed. India eventually won the match by 72 runs, thus keeping their title defence alive.

Another do-or-die outing, this time against fellow two-time winners West Indies, beckons in Kolkata. The Eden Gardens clash today starts at 7:00 PM local time, and all eyes will be on the Kerala batter. Samson, no doubt, will be the key to India's good start -- setting a target or chasing, given he's in the playing XI.

Ahead of the India vs West Indies match in Kolkata, Sanjay Bangar discussed Samson's influence and why the Kerala batter should play.

"I thought Sanju Samson was very proactive and moved a lot in the crease. Because of that, he created run-scoring opportunities and, in that sense, gave India the start they were looking for," the former India cricketer and batting coach told Star Sports.

Recalled into the XI, Samson scored 24 off 15 and perished while going for his third six, caught at deep mid-wicket. Legendary Sunil Gavaskar had hailed the 31-year-old's approach, and defended the shot selection, saying: "In the interest of the team, he went for a big hit and got out. That is fine because he got India off to a flying start."

This was his second 20s in the tournament. Against Namibia, filling in for an indisposed Abhishek Sharma, he hit 22 off eight, laced with one four and three sixes.

Bangar echoed Gavaskar's assessment: "India were averaging less than 10 in terms of opening partnerships in the four or five games they had played before the Zimbabwe match. So, the way he played allowed Abhishek time to settle in, and by then India had already gotten off to a good start."

The Big Off In India's Fight Against Spinners

One recurring theme that continues dominate the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 is the reemergence of finger spinners, especially offies and their role in the format. Against India, a team touted to breach the 300-run mark, their opponents have often resorted to using them, even the part-timers.

Salman Ali Agha, the Pakistan captain, introduced himself in the first over and dismissed Sharma for a four-ball duck, the Indian opener's second in the tournament. He had a blooper against the United States in the opener too.

Aryan Dutt got the better of Sharma in the next match, making it three ducks in three for the flamboyant left hander. The Hague-born off-spinner also dismissed Ishan Kishan, another left-handed batter, in the match.

Sharma managed to snap the duck streak with a 12-ball 15 against South Africa, but his opening partner Kishan became a victim of off-spin trap, following a similar script: a four-ball duck, a prize wicket for Proteas captain Aiden Markram, the part-time off-spinner.

But the inclusion of Samson, a right-handed batter, effectively hit the off-spin ploy out of the park. A genuine stroke-maker with brutal power, he can destroy the morale of any bowling attack, spin heavy or not.

"With a right-hander at the top, India are depriving the opposition of the opportunity to use off-spin as much. It’s not necessarily that off-spinners are causing a lot of problems to left-handers. It’s just that the batters are trying to force the issue against them and, in that process, getting out," Bangar explained.

"This is a good mix because if you have three right-handers in the top seven, you can maintain the right-left combination and deprive the opposition of using four overs of off-spin."

The Windies' playing XI will only be revealed at the toss, but the general prediction is that they will plan to counter the famed Indian batting line-up with spin, including at least one offspinner, probably in the form of Roston Chase. They do have Gudakesh Motie and Akael Hosein, both left-arm spinners, of course.

The Indian squad, surprisingly, has nine left-handed batters, with six of them often the starters.

"That's been sort of the makeup of the team going into the World Cup that we were going to be heavy with left-handers, said bowling coach Morne Morkel ahead of the South Africa match.

"That's the way we've been set up at the moment. But if you look at the left-handers, they are aggressive players. Bowlers will have sleepless nights bowling to them."

It's another matter, though, that India were dismissed for 111 all out in 18.5 overs while chasing a target of 188 runs, for their biggest T20 World Cup defeat by runs, a result which put them in all sorts of problems.