IND vs WI: Sanju Samson overtakes Ishan Kishan, becomes India’s top wicketkeeper-batter in T20Is

India wicketkeeper batter Sanju Samson has stepped up for the team in the final Super 8 match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 against the West Indies at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Opening the batting, Samson looked in great touch and was unbeaten on 54 off just 28 balls at the end of 10 overs in India’s chase of 196. He brought up his half-century with a boundary off Gudakesh Motie on the fourth ball of the 10th over.

This knock is important not just for the match, but also for the record books. It is Samson’s sixth 50-plus score in T20 internationals while playing as India’s designated wicketkeeper-batter. With this, he now holds the record for the most 50-plus scores by an Indian wicketkeeper-batter in T20Is.

India wicketkeepers who smashed most half centuries

Ishan Kishan has five such scores, while KL Rahul has three half-centuries in matches where he kept wickets for India in the shortest format.

Who scored the most fifty-plus scores in T20Is

On the global stage, the record for the most 50-plus scores in T20Is as a wicketkeeper-batter belongs to Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan. He has crossed the 50-run mark 28 times in 91 matches in that role. England’s Jos Buttler follows with 26, and South Africa’s Quinton de Kock has 21.

ALSO READ: Sikandar Raza creates history in T20 World Cup clash against South Africa, becomes first captain to reach this milestone

Samson has now scored three centuries and three half-centuries for India in T20Is as a wicketkeeper-batter. His highest score in that role is 111 off 47 balls, which he made against Bangladesh in Hyderabad on October 12, 2024.

His latest fifty against the West Indies also makes him only the second Indian wicketkeeper-batter to score a half-century in an ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Ishan Kishan was the first, with two fifties in the tournament, 61 off 24 balls against Namibia in Delhi and 77 off 40 balls against Pakistan in Colombo.