Samson is a world-class player and he paced his innings well: Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir does know a thing or two about chases. In the 2011 World Cup final against Sri Lanka, he top-scored with a 97 in a winning cause. Cut to the present, in his avatar as the coach, the former India opener was thrilled with another 97, this time scored by Sanju Samson.

“Sanju is a world-class player, he has the experience and he did very well. Even in that game against Zimbabwe he did his part. I didn’t think he accelerated, he just paced his innings well here, played smartly. I hope he builds on from here. In Sanju and Ishan Kishan, we have two very good players, who can both bat and keep wickets,” Gambhir said.

The coach was quick to stress that the victory against the West Indies in a vital ICC T20 World Cup game here at the Eden Gardens, had the hallmark of teamwork: “Sanju scored 97 but we also had Shivam Dube scoring those two fours in the penultimate over. Jasprit Bumrah is our banker, we keep going back to him. In the chase, we never felt we were out of the game.”

Asked how the team decides the batting combination and bowling changes, Gambhir said: “It is all about experience, I think data is over-rated, you just figure things, and yes the captain makes his decisions. And in big matches, it all boils down to mental strength.”

West Indies skipper Shai Hope also lauded Samson’s knock: “It was an A-plus innings. He is an experienced player and he handled the chase well.”

Having helmed a reasonably good campaign, Hope said: “Our bowlers did well and we batted deep. Shimron Hetmyer at three was good. Obviously we will analyse why we lost”.